Angel in Disguise
by heyitsdezzi
Summary: The first time Eliza Crane laid eyes on Santana Lopez, she was immediately mesmerized. (Santana/OC, season 2 AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! So this is my first Glee fanfic, and basically it's a fluffy (sometimes angsty) fic that imagines what would happen if there was a new member that came into glee that took an interest in Santana! This fic takes place loosely somewhere in season 2, but it doesn't follow the plot of the show so this is in my own little universe! I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter :)**

* * *

The first time Eliza Crane laid eyes on Santana Lopez, she was immediately mesmerized.

"Who in the world is that?" the dark-haired girl breathed to Rachel who was sitting next to her. Eliza watched as the Latina Cheerio crossed the choir room, laughing with a mohawked football player and a blonde Cheerio.

The diva followed Eliza's gaze and almost burst out laughing when she saw who the new Gleek's eyes were following. "You're joking, right?" After a moment, Rachel realized that no, Eliza wasn't joking, and her expression sobered. Her brown eyes becoming almost comically wide, she hissed, "Eliza, that is the physical embodiment of Satan himself! Please promise me that you will not try to get involved with Santana Lopez. She represents nothing but trouble and will tear you apart with her admittedly impeccably manicured nails!"

Eliza's lips curled almost involuntarily into a smile and she arched an eyebrow. "Satan, huh?" she mused, leaning back in her chair. "She looks more like an angel to me." Eliza glanced back at Rachel, who had an look of pure disappointment on her face. The brunette rolled her eyes and knocked her shoulder into her friend's. "Come on, Rach, I'm just trying to mingle like you always tell me I should."

Rachel crossed her arms over her mildly hideous reindeer sweater and shook her head. "I know that, and I am indeed proud of your stronger attempts to socialize as of late. However, I wish you wouldn't choose to 'mingle' with the girl that has been torturing me for years!" Rachel realized that she was speaking a bit too loudly when she noticed Tina and Mercedes pausing from their own conversation to give them a strange look. The diva lowered her voice to a dramatic stage whisper. "I'm being serious, Eliza. Santana is not a person who is known for the kindness of her heart. I know you have an almost masochistic appreciation for cold and heartless women, but I am warning you now that this will not end nicely for anyone." Her eyes softened, "Especially not for you."

Eliza sighed and carded a hand through her hair as a matter of habit, beginning to feel guilty. "I know she's been horrible to you, Rach, but... let me try, okay? The reason why I tend to find myself drawn to HBICs is because they usually have a heart of gold buried under all that superficial crap. You just have to dig a little bit." She offered the girl a reassuring smile and teased, "Besides, it's not like I'm gonna try to have sex with her. Yet." Eliza winked and laughed when Rachel scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"You know that I respect and support your sexuality as the daughter of two gay dads. However, the mental image of you and Santana Lopez in the midst of any type of… physical encounter is not one I would like to envision, ever," Rachel complained. Eliza rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," Eliza chuckled, turning her head to look at the beautiful Cheerio sitting across the choir room. The Latina hadn't spared her a single glance since she'd entered the room. Considering that Eliza was new here, she'd expected at least a strange look or two. In fact, no one in the club had been friendly enough to introduce themselves to her. Eliza recognized a few of members from her classes, but Rachel was really her only friend. Still, she didn't allow their non-reactions to disappoint her. There were other ways to call attention to herself. Turning back to Rachel, Eliza asked, "So, tell me a bit about this Santana Lopez. What kind of music does she like?"

Rachel tilted her head to the side and tapped her chin for a moment, thinking. "Well, Santana is historically fond of R&B songs. She has also performed a few Amy Winehouse numbers that were admittedly quite good... Though she does need to continue to work on her-"

"Perfect," Eliza hummed, eyes lit up with excitement as her plan of action rapidly took form in her mind. Lucky for her, Amy Winehouse was right in her wheelhouse. In fact, she already had one of the star's songs locked and loaded for an occasion like this one. There was a reason why she and Rachel were close friends, after all.

Right on cue, the man who Eliza knew was Mr. Schuester stepped into the room carrying a binder of sheet music. "Alright guys, I hope you all had a great weekend. First up on the agenda for the day is-" The teacher's voice cut off when he spotted Eliza sitting amongst the other glee members. Mr. Schue smiled, although he seemed a bit confused as he said, "Oh, hello there." Eliza felt a dozen pair of eyes turn on her and she smiled back, giving a little wave. The teacher, seeing the brunette sitting next to Rachel, asked, "You know Rachel?"

Eliza summoned every ounce of confidence and coolness that she knew she possessed. Smoothing down her black floral dress, she stood up and crossed to the center of the room. "Yeah, I'm a friend of hers," she replied, "Eliza Crane."

The girl turned back to face the other glee kids when she heard a scoff. Eliza couldn't help but smirk when she saw it was none other than the infamous Santana Lopez that made the sound. "Alright, I'll stop you right there," the Latina interrupted, rolling her eyes. "No one would ever be friends with RuPaul here of their own free will because she's frickin' insufferable, so seriously, how much did she pay you to say that?"

A few of the kids snickered, and Mr. Schue immediately glared at Santana. He chastised, "That's enough, Santana, that's no way to talk about one of your team's captains!" Rachel shot her own glower at the Cheerio before making eye contact with Eliza. Her expression clearly read, I told you she was the devil incarnate!

Still, Eliza couldn't help but laugh at the Latina's comment, her reaction surprising everyone in the room. "No, it's alright," she told Mr. Schuester, her blue eyes scanning the group of kids in front of her. "Rach has told me a lot about the people in this club. How they're like her family that she knows she can always rely on." Most of the glee members had the decency to look down almost guiltily at this. Except Santana of course, who had a dark eyebrow arched in a manner that could not be described as anything but 'bitchily', if that was even a word. After a moment, Eliza continued, "If you guys have a place for me, I would love to join this little family."

Mr. Schue looked absolutely thrilled at that and clapped his hands. "Of course we have room for you! The more the merrier, right guys?" He turned to face the group, and their reactions were mostly enthusiastic, except for that of one person in particular.

"Shouldn't she have to audition like the rest of us had to?" Santana pointed out snarkily, her arms crossed over her chest with a particularly irritated look on her face. Eliza didn't know much about the girl yet, but she could tell that she had already begun to grate on the Cheerio's nerves. Eliza guessed that Santana Lopez wasn't used to people not being afraid of her.

Mr. Schue frowned but then nodded, turning to Eliza with an almost apologetic look on his face. "Santana is right, we will have to ask for you to audition. Don't worry, though," he rushed to assure her, "We take everyone who wants to join regardless." Wow, Eliza thought, Rachel wasn't exaggerating, they really are desperate for members.

The dark-haired girl smiled brightly and nodded. "It's okay, I have something prepared right now, actually." Rachel gave her a questioning look, obviously not very happy that Eliza hadn't consulted her about song choice. The girl chose to ignore it. Instead, she crossed to the band and whispered in their ear what song she was going to sing.

Eliza took her place back at the center of the room and waited for the beginning chords of Amy Winehouse's You Know I'm No Good to play before launching into the song. Though the song wasn't exactly one she could fully dance to, she still made a show of it. Eliza swayed and made her way around the room as she sang her heart out. She didn't make her performance excessively sexual, but she didn't hold herself back either as she danced around both the guys and girls. Everyone seemed to be torn between being shocked and impressed. As the song faded to a close, Eliza looked right at Santana and winked in a way that was far less than subtle.

For a heartbeat after she finished, there was dead silence. Eliza had the bad feeling she may have been too "friendly" with her performance. Not only was it her first time performing in front of these people, but it was also the first time she had even met the majority of them. She had the nasty habit of being overly ambitious. But then that moment of silence was broken by enthusiastic cheering, clapping, and whistling as the glee kids' voices overlapped in expressing their appreciation.

"Damn, girl!" The voice of a black girl who Eliza believed was named Mercedes rose above the others. "We all thought Santana was the one repping Amy Winehouse here, but after that performance…"

Eliza grinned and thanked her, her gaze lifting to gauge Santana's reaction to that comment. The Latina looked like she was ready to jump out of her seat and claw Eliza's eyes out any second. The only thing that seemed to be stopping her from doing that was a hand resting on Santana's knee. Eliza was surprised to find out that the hand belonged to the blonde cheerleader sitting next to Santana. Interesting, Eliza thought, filing that away to be analyzed later.

"That was amazing, Eliza! Welcome to New Directions!" Mr. Schue exclaimed happily.

"Thanks, I'm looking forward to having a lot of fun with you all," Eliza replied with a smile. She made pointed eye contact with Santana as she spoke, mock-bowing to the crowd. Eliza made her way back to her seat next to Rachel, Mr. Schue jumping back into his originally planned lesson. "So, what did you think?" the brunette breathed to her friend, already having a pretty good idea of what the diva was going to say.

"Your performance was indeed spectacular as expected. However, I don't see how antagonizing Santana will get her to like you," Rachel pointed out sharply. The diva tilted her head in the direction of the girl in question who still looked incredibly pissed. "You have made an extremely dangerous enemy, Eliza."

Eliza glanced over at the Latina and found herself unable to suppress a small smile. The young woman shrugged and pointed out, "Well, I have to start somewhere, don't I?"

Xxx

The rest of the glee club meeting passed quickly. Eliza held back from sneaking too many glances at Santana, not wanting to be too obvious or come off as creepy. When the bell rang, everyone hopped out of their seats, ready to go to their next class. Schuester reminded them that the next week they would be having a duet competition. Judging by the other glee kids' reactions, duet competitions were pretty commonplace.

Eliza waited for Rachel to briefly talk to her boyfriend, Finn, before the two started to head to the exit. She was stopped, however, by the sound of Santana's voice yelling out, "Hey, midget!"

Rachel instinctively turned around and began testily, "How many times do I have to remind you that referring to someone who is simply below the average height for a woman as a 'midget' is very-"

"Oh, shut it, Man Hands," Santana snapped impatiently. She wasn't even looking at Rachel- in fact, her dark (and very murderous) gaze was laser-focused on Eliza. Her lips curled in a scowl, she jutted out her chin at Eliza, hissing, "I was talking to her, not you."

Rachel and Eliza exchanged glances. The latter brunette simply raised an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders. "I am pretty short," she admitted, eyes flickering over to Santana, "I'll give her that. A+ for accuracy, if not for creativity." Santana just glared at her. Without breaking eye contact with the Cheerio, Eliza told Rachel, "Hey, Rach, I'll catch up with you later, alright? Santana here probably just wants to ask me for a few tips after my killer performance." She tossed a saccharine smile at the Latina, getting an almost sick sense of satisfaction at the way Santana looked like she wanted to throttle her.

Rachel glanced between them warily. She clearly did not want to leave her friend with the nasty cheerleader but she had no other choice. "Fine," she eventually agreed. Rachel turned to Eliza and whispered, "But if I don't see you within the next twenty minutes, I will take it upon myself to call emergency services." Rachel shot one last sharp, disapproving look at Santana before turning on her heel. She exited the choir room with Finn who had been waiting obediently for her to return to him.

Santana waited for everyone else to clear out of the room before advancing on the newest glee member. For a moment Eliza thought the girl was going to slap her (or worse) and grew worried. But the cheerleader just evaded her personal space, sticking her finger in the girl's face. Eliza's breath quickened involuntarily at their new proximity, noticing how Santana looked even prettier close up. "Now who the fuck do you think you are, marching in here singing my home girl Amy? You know how we do things in Lima Heights? People who get in our way, we ends them." Santana looked beyond pissed and like she was itching for a fight, but Eliza could tell that the Cheerio was more bark than bite.

The brunette laughed at Santana's threatening, throwing up her hands. "Wow, I'm so intimidated," she teased, her voice light because she really was amused by all this. She knew it was terrible, but people getting angry at her had always had the opposite intended effect on her. "To be honest," Eliza admitted in a suggestive tone of voice as she tilted her head and gave Santana a once-over, "The whole bitch act is preeeetty hot."

The Latina was momentarily speechless, caught off guard by Eliza's blatant flirting. The shock soon wore off, the anger from before making a reappearance. "I fucking know I'm hot, but don't think I won't rip you to shreds with my bare hands just because of some half-assed flattery. You being joined at the vagina with Berry is reason enough to end you, so I'm warning you, freak. Don't get in my way, or Auntie Snixx is gonna go all Lima Heights." Santana sharply jabbed Eliza in the shoulder. The brunette swayed back on her feet but was otherwise unaffected.

Oh my God, Eliza thought, trying not to burst out laughing. Did this girl seriously just refer to herself as Auntie Snixx? That's freaking adorable. The girl settled on teasing, "Well, since I'm not exactly afraid of you, I guess you're gonna want to have to make me be. The Cheerios' usual MO is slushy facials, right? Make it cherry, and maybe I'll let you be my duet partner next week. You can even pick the song." Before Santana could react, Eliza smiled cheerfully and turned. She exited the room, feeling an enormous sense of accomplishment. Sure, she was continuing to piss the girl off more and more and maybe, just maybe, she would live to regret it, but who cared? At the very least she would be taking the heat off Rachel since Santana had clearly picked Eliza as the new enemy number one.

Xxx

Of course, as soon as Eliza met back up with Rachel, the star immediately launched into a rant. How she shouldn't provoke Santana, it wouldn't be good for the team, et cetera. Eliza reassured her friend that she knew what she was doing and that she wasn't intimidated by the Latina at all. Rachel continued to huff and puff about it but eventually told her to be careful and to try not to be too blatant with her flirting.

Over the next week, Eliza maintained her distance from Santana. She settled for sly looks and smiles whenever they made eye contact, which was rare since Santana avoided her at all costs. Instead Santana focused her attention entirely on Brittany, that blonde cheerleader. Eliza wondered if they were dating, remembering how Brittany's hand on Santana's knee had kept the Latina from 'going all Lima Heights'. There had to be at least something going on between them. They seemed to be way too touchy-feely to be just best friends.

Eliza had noticed that Kurt and Mercedes seemed to always be gossiping before glee meetings, so she figured asking them would be the easiest way to get the answers to her questions. But Rachel had asked her to be subtle about this whole 'mission' of hers, and Eliza was determined to keep her word. She had to be loyal to the drama queen if only because no one else in the club seemed to give two shits about her. Eliza truly didn't understand that, but that was a rant for another day.

Lucky for her, Eliza didn't have to wait very long before the two gossip mongers approached her. She was leaving that day's glee meeting and was minding her own business when she felt two arms loop through her own. Glancing left and right, she smiled when she saw Kurt and Mercedes. "Hey, guys, what's up?" she greeted pleasantly. She knew where this conversation would lead them, but she didn't care. Rachel told her to be subtle, but she wasn't going to deny her attraction to Santana outright. She wasn't ashamed of her sexuality or who she was, and she didn't care who knew it.

"Well, Eliza," Kurt began diplomatically, "'cedes and I couldn't help but notice a few… well, a few looks exchanged between you and a certain rage-filled Cheerio in glee. Not just today, but pretty much every day." His tone was that of innocent curiosity, but Eliza knew it was more than that.

"Yeah, but it seemed like those looks were more than Santana hating on you or you hating on Satan- I mean, Santana," Mercedes finished. The girl smiled encouragingly as if she wasn't trying to extract as much as she could from Eliza. "Listen, in glee club, we're a big family like you said. Total no judgement zone, Kurt and I totally have your back."

Eliza thought about all the times Rachel had come literally crying to her about how people in glee were treating her. She seriously doubted that these two actually had her back. Still, she decided to be nice and smiled, musing, "I'm sure you guys do." Eliza tried to decide how to explain her attraction to the Cheerio. She began, "Santana's a firecracker. And, I dunno, I like that." She shrugs her shoulders, trying to explain without words that it really wasn't that big of a deal. She knew it was, though, she could tell by the look in Kurt's eyes. He thought he was the only out and proud kid in the school, but now he might be joined outside the closet door. Eliza knew that must be exciting for him, so she decided not to torture him too much with her vagueness. "The threats, the insults, the whole bravado, it doesn't bother me. As Rachel has lovingly pointed out numerous times, I tend to be drawn to assholes who I know secretly have hearts." Another shrug, this one meaning, It can't be helped.

Mercedes scoffs at that last part. "I'm pretty sure Santana is pure evil," she points out. She glances over at Kurt for his support, but the boy looks to be partly in shock.

"So you're gay?" he bluntly asks, almost as if he couldn't help himself.

Eliza smiles knowingly and replies, "Well, I'm actually bi, though I'm more attracted to women, I'd say."

Kurt nods slowly. "I'm incredibly relieved to finally have someone who understands what I've been going through. But... I have some serious doubts about your choice of girls."

Mercedes hummed her agreement, "Yeah, definitely. Like I said… Santana, she legit has no heart. At all. Besides… her and Britt kinda have a thing." Eliza arched an eyebrow, gesturing for her to expand. Mercedes shrugs, "Well, no one knows much about it, really. Santana isn't exactly an open book. But from what Britt has said, they had some sorta physical relationship going."

"Had?" Eliza asks, pointing out Mercedes' use of past tense.

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged looks again. "Britt Britt is dating Artie now," the gay teen eventually explained. "Which is why Santana's been even more vindictive and bitchy lately. Plus word is she hasn't been getting any from Puckerman, so overall she's been acting rather…"

"Sexually frustrated?" Eliza supplied helpfully, a smirk itching at the corner of her lips despite herself.

Kurt obviously detected the sexual undertones in her voice. He shook his head and waved his hands around, groaning, "Please, no, I don't want those images in my head!"

Eliza laughed, "Funny, Rach said the same thing." After a pause, the brunette continues, "Listen, I'm not about to go up to Santana and ask her out on a date. She would definitely reject me because first of all she isn't exactly out, and second of all she currently wants to 'end' me. But honestly, I like pushing her buttons, and for now that's good enough for me."

Mercedes shook her head. "That's great, but here's the thing. Santana is a major bitch. She is vicious, vulgar, cruel, and no one in glee really likes her. Except Brittany, but she isn't giving Satan a lot of attention right now."

Eliza arches an eyebrow, wondering what the girl's point is. She couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed for Santana's sake in only because the Cheerio wasn't here to defend herself.

"Even though Santana is terrible, she is always better when she has someone, you know? It didn't matter if she was sleeping with Puck or sleeping with Brittany, she was always more tolerable then," Mercedes explains.

Finally Eliza realizes what she was trying to say. "So you think I should sleep with her to make her more docile?" she says incredulously, unsure of what she thinks about the idea. The brunette gets why everyone would benefit from a nicer Santana, but she isn't sure if sleeping with the Latina is the solution to that problem.

Mercedes and Kurt both nod enthusiastically. They have reached Eliza's locker at this point, and the brunette pauses to think. After a moment she tells them, "Listen, I'll think about it. Either way I'm gonna keep messing with her because it's fun. But maybe… If she responds in the right way, I may pursue it, okay? No promises." The two glee clubbers both nod again, happy to receive a 'maybe' instead of a flat out 'no'.

The two divas rushed off to their own lockers. Eliza unlocked hers and deposited her books inside, wondering where this whole Santana thing would lead her.

* * *

 **Will Eliza manage to 'woo' Santana or just further piss the girl off? Will Eliza decide to go with Kurt and Mercedes' plan? You'll have to wait to find out! Constructive criticism is loooved- I'm not used to writing non-OCs so I would love to hear if you guys think I wrote everyone in character or not! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

At the next glee practice, Eliza entered the room with a new sense of confidence. She had decided that she wasn't going to try to sleep with Santana for the glee club's sake. If anything, she was going to try to sleep with the Cheerio because she was attracted to her. The brunette knew that if Santana found out Kurt and Mercedes wanted Eliza to sleep with her in order to calm her down... Well, there would be hell to pay. Besides, unlike Rachel Berry ( _Love ya,_ _Rach_ ), Eliza did not live off of unnecessary drama.

Despite her new decision, Eliza was still determined to get closer to Santana. And today, she meant that literally. Usually she sat in the front of the room with Rachel, but this time Eliza passed the first row. She shot an apologetic look at Rachel when the girl looked at her questioningly and climbed up the steps to the back row. Santana was lounging on one of the maroon seats in her Cheerio uniform, purposely ignoring Eliza as she conversed with Mercedes. It wasn't until Eliza dropped into the empty seat to the girl's right that the Latina's head swiveled to glare at her.

"Excuse me, Monistat," Santana bit out, becoming more irritated at Eliza's little scoff. "Who said you could sit here? I don't want _Berry's_ cooties rubbing off on me." Her face twisted into a look of disgust.

"Oh c'mon, give the girl a chance," Mercedes interjected before Eliza could say anything. "She hasn't even been here a week and you're already judgin'?" Santana just growled- a literal _growl_ \- and crossed her arms tightly. Mercedes (and Kurt, turning around from the next row in front of them) gave Eliza an encouraging thumbs up.

"Whatever, but don't try to actually talk to me," Santana said moodily, looking straight ahead. Obviously the Cheerio was content to ignore Eliza's existence for the rest of time. As it turned out, fate had different plans.

Because as soon as Mr. Schuester entered the room, he clapped his hands and called out, "Who's ready to get their duet partners?!" Most people cheered, but a few others (including Santana next to her) grumbled. "Come on, guys!" Will encouraged, "Get excited! This is a great opportunity for you all to sing with someone who you wouldn't normally get to." The teacher crossed to the piano with a hat in his hand, presumably filled with the names of the glee members. Mr. Schue began calling out names. The person who was first called got to come up and pull a name out of the hat, that person being their partner.

Eliza prayed to whatever God was out there that she and Santana got paired up. It would be perfect— Santana would be forced to spend time with her and could no longer ignore Eliza. Still, the brunette didn't get her hopes up. She knew that the odds of either of them picking each other were very unlikely. When Mr. Schue called her name, there were only a couple of people left unpaired, Santana being one of them. Eliza took a deep breath and teased to the Cheerio next to her, "Wish me good luck." Eliza stood and approached the hat, fingers mentally crossed.

The glee members began another drum roll as Eliza reached in and felt around. She snagged a piece of paper but when she pulled it out, she saw not Santana's name, but Rachel's. Eliza masked her disappointment, instead excitedly reading out her friend's name. Although the girl had hoped to do a duet with Santana, Rachel _was_ wickedly talented. Eliza would never deny the opportunity to sing with her close friend.

The brunette was about to walk back to her seat when Rachel's hand shot into the air, calling out, "Mr. Schue, if I may?" This time, it was Eliza's turn to shoot her friend a questioning glance. Rachel had that determined look on her face that Eliza knew meant the diva was up to something.

Mr. Schue seemed to recognize the look as well but nodded for the Jewish girl to continue. "Well, as you all know, Eliza has been my friend for many years now. We have sung together numerous times, and I believe that she has nothing left to learn from me." Everyone rolled their eyes at Rachel's subtle bragging, but Eliza just smiled slightly. She now knew where her friend was going with this. "It would be more beneficial to Eliza, as a vocalist, to sing with someone else. Especially since this is her first opportunity to sing with another person in glee."

Mr. Schue hesitated, considering what Rachel had to say. He probably would have thought that Rachel was trying to score a chance to sing a sappy love song with Finn, but Finn was already paired up with Tina. Eliza could practically see the man's mind at work as he said slowly, "I guess you have a point there." He turned back to the hat and peeked inside, pulling out the two names left. Opening them up, Mr. Schuester said, "Alright, then Rachel you'll be with Quinn, and Eliza you'll be with Santana."

Eliza skillfully suppressed the smile growing on her face. Instead she nodded as she sought out Santana to gauge her reaction. The Latina was once again fuming, unable to stop herself from yelling out, "Hell no, there is no way I am singing a duet with Miss Perfect-"

"That's final, Santana," Mr. Schue interrupted sharply. "You will begin to treat Eliza with the respect she deserves or I will have to seriously consider cutting you out from Sectionals." A hush fell over the kids, even Santana, at that threat.

Eliza felt like once again assuring the teacher that she didn't care about Santana's insults. Instead she nodded at him, not wanting to cause a scene. She walked back to her seat, touching Rachel's shoulder briefly in thanks as she climbed up the steps. Settling back into her chair, Eliza decided to address Santana directly. "Well, turns out you didn't even have to throw a cherry slushie at my face to get to sing with me after all," she said lightly, referencing their last conversation. Her voice was minimally teasing, no longer trying to provoke the Latina.

Santana rolled her eyes and scowled. "Listen, Keebler elf." Yet again, Eliza chuckled at the nickname, wondering if Santana would ever call her by her real name. "You can sit next to me, try to make small talk, even sing a damn song with me, but I will _never_ — ever— be your bestie, got it? And if you get me kicked out of this club, I swear to fucking God I will making your life a living hell."

Eliza's smile was still on her face as she dipped her head in response. "Sounds fair enough," she replied. "Besides, for the record? I would never let you get kicked out, because I'm not that kind of person. I've heard you sing, last year. You belong here, and I'm honored to be able to sing with you." The brunette offered her nicest smile. Killing Santana with kindness hadn't been her original plan of action, but Eliza couldn't help it. Teasing the Cheerio was fun, but so was complimenting her. The involuntary blush that appeared on Santana's tan cheeks was enough to make Eliza's whole day.

"Whatever," Santana mumbled, not able to form a witty insult because Eliza had caught her so off guard. The brunette made it a life goal to see Santana blush as often as possible, because it really was adorable. How could anyone be intimidated by this cute little ball of rage?

Xxx

The next day, Rachel and Eliza were walking side by side in the hall. They chatted about normal things, mostly about how Rachel's latest date with Finn had gone. Eliza soon noticed Santana traveling their way down the hallway. "Hey," she greeted when they made eye contact, smiling in a pleasant manner. She expected to be either glared at or ignored, but she wanted to try, anyway.

Both girls were shocked when Santana grinned back at them. "Hi Eliza," she said in an cheery voice that seemed to be very uncharacteristic of her. The glee newbie realized that was the first time Santana had called her by her actual name. The Latina's eyes dropped to Eliza's striped sweater before tilting back upward. "Wow, I _love_ your sweater! Hope nothing happens to it!" Santana laughed brightly and continued past them down the hallway. Rachel and Eliza were left to exchange confused looks.

"What in the world was _that_ abo-" Eliza began. She trailed off when she noticed a hulking jock making a beeline towards them with a giant cup in his hand. Rachel saw it at the same time and, when the jock pulled the cup back, instinctively let out a screech. She jumped behind Eliza to save herself, Eliza's hands flying up to cover her face. She waited to feel the icy drink wash over her… But it never happened.

"Yo, Santana!" Eliza and Rachel turned around just in time to see the Cheerio's face crumple in irritation and confusion. Then, the jock threw the slushie— the _cherry_ slushie— at the girl. Santana froze in shock, slushie dripping down her body. The football player mocked, "Just because you're a cheerleader and fine as hell doesn't mean you aren't just as big of a loser as everyone else in Homo Explosion. You don't get to call the shots anymore, babe." The jock barked out a laugh, high-fived a few of his Neanderthal friends, then moved on down the hallway.

In a matter of seconds Eliza was at the Cheerio's side, gesturing for Rachel to stay back and let her handle this. "Let's go get you cleaned up," Eliza said gently, reaching out to Santana.

The Latina immediately whipped her arm away. She hissed out half-heartedly, "Don't fucking touch me."

"Let me help you," Eliza told her, determined. She wasn't stupid, she knew that Santana meant that slushie for her and Rachel, but she didn't care. Despite Santana's blatant hatred of her, Eliza had never been the type of person to deny help to someone who needed it.

Santana didn't protest this time as Eliza guided her by the elbow into the nearby girl's bathroom. Luckily the room was empty of others. Spotting a folded chair in the cover of the room, Eliza quickly set it up near the sink and told Santana to sit.

For what seemed like eternity, the two didn't speak. Santana sat stoically and Eliza dabbed at Santana's skin and uniform with damp paper towels. The brunette didn't want to push the Latina into talking, fearing that if she did, Santana might snap at her. Eventually, Santana was the one to break the silence, asking simply, "Why are you helping me?" The Cheerio finally looked at Eliza. "I've been nothing but a bitch to you. If Azimio had actually done what I told him to, it would've been you and Berry drenched in corn syrup." Her voice wasn't cruel or kind— it was more neutral than anything, with maybe a slight curiosity.

Eliza stopped what she was doing for a moment to offer Santana a little smile. "I know," she said softly. She continued to wipe down one of Santana's arms, wondering how to answer the girl's question. After a pause Eliza began, "You know, everyone told me to avoid you at all costs. That you were Satan incarnate, that you didn't have a heart, that you were nothing but a bitch through-and-through."

Santana scoffed, and mumbled, her voice wet, "Yeah, they're probably right about all that."

Eliza shook her head and looked directly at Santana. "They're not, though," she insisted.

Santana gave her a scathing look, voice irritable as she pointed out, "You just met me last week. You don't exactly know me, and I haven't done anything to try and prove them wrong."

The brunette smiled. "You're right," she admitted, "I _haven't_ known you for very long. And, yeah, on the surface, what everyone else has said appears to be true. But you know what?" Santana just glanced at her. "The first time I saw you, you were laughing. And maybe I'm naive but, no one as evil and cruel as they all say you are can be that beautiful when they laugh." Eliza touched Santana's arm, trying to convey as much as she could into that gesture. She knew it was cliche, but she didn't care, it was what she was thinking.

Santana's whole body stiffened and that adorable blush made a reappearance. Her dark eyes looked anywhere but Eliza, clearly having no idea how to respond to that. Her gaze dropped down to look at her cheerleading uniform and Santana groaned at the red stains. "Coach is _so_ gonna kill me," she grumbled, mostly to herself but partly to change the subject.

Eliza hummed in agreement as she threw away the used paper towels she had in her hands. She gave her hands a quick wash, wiping off the sugary liquid. "Well, you're probably gonna feel all sticky from all the corn syrup, but I did the best I could." The brunette shrugged and made her way back to Santana. "Do you want to switch clothes or something? We look to be about the same size."

Santana gave Eliza's outfit a once-over and frowned. "Your fashion sense isn't as terrible as Berry's, but I'll still pass." At that moment, the bell rang, and Santana stood up from the chair. For a long couple of seconds, the cheerleader hesitated. She looked like she was trying to figure out how to thank Eliza, or maybe how to apologize for how she had been acting. Eventually, though, Santana just gave a single shake of her head and asked, "When should we meet up to talk about our duet?"

Eliza smiled. Baby steps. "How does tomorrow after school at my house sound?" she suggested, tilting her head. "I have my license, I can drive you."

Santana nodded her head, forcing a smile. "Okay," she agreed, gathering her things. The Latina shot Eliza one more hesitant look before exiting the bathroom, Eliza wondering if Santana's backfired plan of humiliation would prove to be a blessing in disguise.


	3. Chapter 3

_2:34 P.M. hey, you can just meet me at the front of the school_

 _2:35 P.M. who tf this be_

 _2:35 P.M. oops sorry, it's eliza :)_

 _2:37 P.M. how did u get my number_

 _2:37 P.M. rachel gave it to me, is that ok?_

 _2:38 P.M. whatever_

 _i'll meet u in a few mins_

Eliza tucked her phone into her jacket pocket, leaning against the wall nearby the school's exit. She wondered if Santana was back in a pissy mood again after their little 'moment' yesterday. If it could even be called a moment in the first place. It was always one step forward, two steps backward with Santana, but Eliza hoped that tonight would change things. She wasn't exactly planning to seduce Santana or anything, but the brunette figured that at the very least, she would build up some kind of rapport with the Latina.

After a few minutes of waiting, Santana appeared from around the corner with a sour look on her face. _Great,_ Eliza inwardly sighed, _This'll be interesting._ Santana only acknowledged Eliza with a sharp glance, one that clearly said that she wasn't in the mood for any kind of conversation. The cheerleader pushed her way out the front doors, Eliza forced to follow behind her, slightly annoyed.

Eliza picked up her pace and took the lead, knowing that Santana didn't even know what her car looked like. Once they reached her gray Honda CRV, Eliza opened a backseat door and threw her backpack inside. She gestured for Santana to do the same before climbing into the driver's seat. Santana was silent as she slid into the passenger's side, buckling her seatbelt. When Eliza didn't immediately start up the car, the Cheerio's gaze turned to her with an impatient look.

"Is everything okay, Santana?" Eliza asked quietly, brow furrowed. She tried to remember if she had heard about anything bad happening to Santana today. She usually sat with Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, and Rachel at lunch, but today she had to skip the meal to go to her math teacher for extra help. If there was anything going on with Santana, they would have known. "You seem… upset."

Santana's scowl deepened. "No, no, I'm peachy," she growled, fixing Eliza with a " _don't fuck with me_ " look. "Can you just go, alright? I want to get this bullshit duet thing over with." Her head snapped over to look out the window, a clear dismissal of the conversation.

"Fine," Eliza eventually agreed, turning the key in the ignition and setting the car into gear. Eliza did want to know what was on Santana's mind, but she didn't want to push the temperamental cheerleader too far too fast. They had their 'bullshit' duet to worry about after all. Eliza had no intention of telling Mr. Schuester that she couldn't perform her first glee assignment- bitchy partner or not, they were going to deliver a kickass duet even if it was the last thing she did.

Not wanting to spend the drive in absolute silence, Eliza turned up the volume of the radio and clicked on CD. Immediately the sound of _No Good Deed_ came on, and Eliza almost laughed out loud at the irony. She began to sing along, quietly at first but then louder when it got to the chorus. Eliza glanced over at Santana and smiled to herself when she noticed that Santana was definitely listening to her sing.

"Do you like Wicked?" Eliza asked the girl. She decided that even if Santana _was_ in a terrible mood, she could at least attempt to hold a conversation with her.

"Seriously? Wicked?" Santana scoffed, glancing over at Eliza with her arms still firmly crossed. "You're literally like a Rachel Berry copycat."

Eliza laughed at that comment. "I know that you meant that as an insult, but for me that's a compliment. Rachel is the most talented person I know, and if I'm even half the singer she is, I'm happy." She shrugged her shoulders. It was true- glory wasn't her thing, so if she had to be constantly compared to Rachel Berry, that was fine with her.

Santana rolled her eyes dramatically. In a mockingly sweet voice she asked, "So, when did you start jerking off Rachel Berry's massive ego?"

Eliza tapped her fingers on her steering wheel and tossed Santana a smile. "I heard you were very crude," Eliza hummed, not being able to resist teasing the girl. "But, to answer your question, Rach and I have been friends since fourth grade. We've never really been _best_ friends, but we've always kept in touch and been sources of support for each other."

"How frickin' charming," Santana mumbled. After a minute of silence, she scoffs, "Not even Fincompetent raves about her the way you do."

Eliza arched an eyebrow and glanced over at the cheerleader again. Where was Santana going with this? Why did she keep bringing up Rachel? The brunette had an inkling of an idea, but she wasn't going to point it out yet. Again, they needed to get the duet planned out before the teasing could continue. Eliza pulled the car into her driveway and parked it in front of the light yellow Colonial-style house.

Eliza's parents weren't home yet, so she unlocked the house with her key. As soon as the door cracked open, a tabby cat was there to greet its owner, meowing. "Hey, Buck," she hummed, picking him up smoothly and turning to introduce him to Santana. "This is my friend, Santana." The cat mewed and blinked slowly up at Santana. The Latina cheerleader almost reluctantly reached out a hand to scratch behind the feline's ears.

"He looks like a skinnier Lord Tubbington," Santana commented to herself, a frown on her face.

"What?" Eliza asked, her eyebrows raised again. _Lord Tubbington?_ Santana shook her head and stepped over the threshold, her dark gaze scanning the house. Eliza shrugged her shoulders and set Buck down, popping off her shoes. "You can leave your shoes on or take them off, whatever," Eliza told the Cheerio. She smiled kindly at her and made her way down the hallway into the kitchen.

Santana took her own shoes off after a moment's hesitation before following Eliza.

"Do you want something to drink?" Eliza asked Santana. Her parents taught her at a young age that being a good host to guests was very important. She opened the fridge door and grabbed a water bottle for herself. "We have water, milk, juice… Um-"

"Any vodka?" Santana deadpanned.

Eliza rolled her eyes. "Not quite," she teased. Instead she threw Santana a water bottle which the Cheerio caught easily. "Alright, well, we can go up to my room and start brainstorming if that's cool." Santana gave a barely perceptible nod. Eliza really, really hoped that Santana would get a bit more chatty, otherwise this whole experience was going to be wicked awkward. "Cool." Eliza led the way back down the hall, up the stairs, then finally into her bedroom.

Her room was pretty simple. The walls were a dark gray, almost black, her furniture white. Her bed was four-postered and set in the middle of the room. White Christmas lights were strung carefully from the ceiling. She had pictures everywhere, in frames and on cork boards: her friends, her family, pictures she had taken, a few pictures of herself. Santana attempted to look uninterested, but Eliza noticed the teenager taking glances at the framed pictures on her nightstand.

"I guess we should get into it," Eliza suggested, grabbing her laptop from her desk and plopping onto the bed. She patted the other side of the king-sized mattress, gesturing for Santana to sit as well. The Latina sat down as Eliza booted up the computer. "I've been thinking of ideas for songs we could do. At first I was thinking we could do an Amy Winehouse song since we are both clearly big fans. But then, I realized that we should probably do something more original. Rach mentioned you liked R&B, so maybe we could do a Whitney song? Or Waterfalls by TLC, that's a classic." Eliza realized that 1. she was rambling and 2. Santana wasn't contributing to the conversation whatsoever.

Eliza began to feel a bit impatient herself and glanced over to see Santana completely absorbed with her phone. Eliza opened her mouth to make a comment about it when she saw Santana's expression. She had never seen the girl look so… raw. Emotional. The cheerleader's face was furrowed, and a closer look revealed that Santana was staring at a recent text message. Eliza didn't know what the message read, but she did see the name at the top of the conversation: Brittany S. Pierce. That's _why she's so upset,_ Eliza realized. The brunette closed her laptop, the sound drawing Santana's attention.

"Santana," Eliza says quietly, empathetically, "Please tell me what's going on. I told you yesterday, you have to let me help you."

The Latina's walls immediately slid back up as she tossed her phone next to her. "Oh, please," she snarked, "Like I need your help. Besides, it's nothing. Seriously, I'll get over it like I always do." Santana's arms folded- Eliza noticed that that must be a defense mechanism of the girl's.

"Is it about Brittany?" Eliza tried, gently touching Santana's arm in an attempt to get the Cheerio to look at her. "You don't need to lie to me, Santana. Even if you don't want my help, the least I can do is lend an ear."

Santana finally looked over at her. Eliza was surprised to see the girl's eyes beginning to fill with unshed tears. "I just don't get why she's with that fucking four-eyed loser," Santana burst out, hands gesturing wildly. "He's a total _asshole_ to her! He doesn't realize how much of a fuckin' genius she is. He doesn't appreciate her like I do, or listen to her like I do, or love her like-" The girl abruptly stopped. Eliza noticed one of Santana's hands gripping a handful of her comforter tightly.

"Or love her like you do," Eliza finished for her. She knew that it was probably incredibly difficult for Santana to admit. She had been there herself, she knew how Santana was feeling.

Santana shot her a glare, but it was a lot weaker than usual. "If you speak a word of this, to anyone, I will totally cut a bitch."

Eliza laughed, reached over, and squeezed Santana's hand. Santana surprised her when she didn't pull her hand away immediately. "I won't," she promised with a smile. After a pause, Eliza admitted, "Listen, I know how you feel, okay? Wanting to be with someone that is just out of reach. I'm only a year older than you, so I'm not pretending to be some wise old love guru, but I can offer my own experiences." She shrugged her shoulders, hoping Santana would at least hear her out.

Santana made a face. "I swear to fucking God, if you are talking about having a huge lady boner for Berry, I'm going to vomit."

Another laugh escaped Eliza's throat and she shook her head. "Not Rachel," she agreed, amused. "When I was a freshman, I was head over heels for this cheerleader, Holly Hale." Eliza glanced at Santana's face, trying to gauge her reaction, but the Latina's face was stoic. "She was… well, she was a hot mess, to put it gently. She was constantly lying to me, right to my face. She'd tell me I was the only one for her but then the next day she'd be fooling around with some random guy. I knew she was playing me but I didn't care. I spent that whole year obsessing over her, taking every single scrap of attention she gave me. At the time, I thought I was in love, but now, looking back, I realize that I should have just let it go." Eliza released a breath and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not saying that Brittany is anything like Holly, I know she isn't. She seems like such a nice girl, and I'm sure she's good for you. I don't pretend to know anything about your guys' relationship, okay, I don't. But I guess I'm just saying that… Well, sometimes it's less painful in the long run to take a step back, you know? Move on before your heart can break completely." Eliza's gaze slid down to her hands, twiddling her fingers absentmindedly. She hoped that Santana wouldn't take her advice the wrong way, or think that she was pushing her away from Brittany so Eliza could make her move. It wasn't like that at all.

There was a long silence before Santana spoke. "Maybe you're right," the Latina breathed out. "Maybe I _do_ need to move on." When Eliza looked back over, Santana was a lot closer than she had been before. The Cheerio's dark eyes alternated between looking into Eliza's blue ones and her lips. The brunette began to inwardly panic- maybe this wasn't the best idea? Before she could voice her thoughts, though, Santana was leaning in, and in a matter of seconds, they were kissing.

Their lips slid against each other smoothly, fluidly— Eliza had known that the Latina would be an extremely good kisser. Eliza allowed herself to fall into the liplock she had been waiting for, her hand reaching to cup the back of Santana's neck under her ponytail. Santana threw a leg over Eliza's waist, her red Cheerios skirt fanning over Eliza's lap as she straddled her. The brunette's free hand slid down to the girl's lower back, pressing her closer. Eliza bit back a moan as Santana traced her bottom lip with her tongue.

However, as much as Eliza wanted to continue to make out with the gorgeous Cheerio, she couldn't ignore her conscience. After a few seconds, Eliza reluctantly drew away from the kiss, gasping slightly to regain her breath. She closed her eyes briefly and pressed her forehead against Santana's.

"Why'd you stop?" Santana whispered, her voice sounding surprisingly vulnerable for such a self-proclaimed badass.

Eliza looked up and offered the Cheerio a small smile. "Listen, Santana," she sighed, pulling her hands away from the girl's back and neck. "You're gorgeous, and I'm incredibly attracted to you. I have been since the moment I saw you walk into glee club, I'm not afraid to admit that. But…" Eliza hesitated. She knew that her next words might prevent she and Santana from engaging in anything ever again, but she had to say them. "You love Brittany. I'm not saying that I want a relationship or anything serious, but I don't want you to be kissing me and thinking of her. It's not fair to me, or to Brittany." The new gleek kept her voice as soft as possible. She didn't want Santana to think she was mad at her or pressuring her or anything.

Santana looked at her with a mixture of hurt and anger before climbing off her. Slumping back on the bed, Santana buried her head in her hands and released a loud groan. "What the fuck is wrong with me," she growled, frustrated. In one quick movement, Eliza had her arms around the cheerleader, hugging her tightly.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Santana," Eliza whispered. She thought back to the names Santana had called her, the stories she had heard about the Cheerio. Yeah, maybe Santana _was_ a bitch, but she wasn't heartless, and no one deserved this kind of heartbreak. For a long time Eliza held her, Santana's body gently shaking as she cried. However, glancing at the clock on her nightstand, Eliza realized that they really, really needed to work on their duet. "Is this a bad time to mention that we still need to pick a song for glee?"

To her immense relief, Santana released a bubbling laugh, straightening up and rolling her eyes. "A little bit," she teased, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand self-consciously. "Whatever you want to sing is fine." She made a face, "As long as it isn't Wicked or any lame ass showtunes."

Eliza pretended to look offended. "Wicked is not lame! But… Deal." She paused, suddenly getting an idea but not sure how Santana would react to it. "I have an idea, if you want to let Brittany know how you feel. You can take the lead on it, I'll just join you for the harmonies. Maybe if you get your feelings out there, it'll be sort of cleansing for you. Make it easier to move on, if that's what you decide you want to do." Eliza grabbed her computer again and searched for the sheet music for the song she had in mind. Once she found it, she turned the laptop around to show Santana.

The Latina hesitated for a moment, but then she nodded. "That's perfect," she agreed.

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 **Their first kiss, how exciting! Will these two gals end up together, or is Eliza pushing Santana further into Brittany's arms? Comments and reviews are always appreciated :)**


	4. Chapter 4

The next day at glee club, Santana was a nervous wreck. The cheerleader paced agitatedly, back and forth, back and forth as the two girls waited for everyone to show up. The meeting didn't start for another fifteen minutes, but Santana wanted to be early and have another chance to practice. "This was a really bad fucking idea," she mumbled, fists clenching and unclenching.

Eliza moved closer to the Cheerio and reached out to grab her hand, stopping Santana's pacing. "Relax," she said softly. "Brittany probably already knows your feelings anyway, so it's not like this will be a giant bombshell to her. Plus, the important part is that you're putting everything out there. I'm sure she will appreciate your honesty and openness."

Santana nodded slowly, offering the brunette a tentative smile. "I know," she sighed. "I guess I'm just freaked about how everyone else will react. Like, I know they're not gonna judge me or whatever, but… I have a reputation to uphold, you know?" The Latina shrugged her shoulders aggressively. "Santana Lopez isn't no sappy loser. We have enough of that shit in this club already."

Eliza laughed, the girl's hand falling from hers when voices sounded from the doorway. Kurt and Mercedes entered first, both smiling knowingly at Eliza. Next came the footballers, with Rachel and Finn hand in hand like always. Tina, Artie, Brittany and Quinn walked in as well, Eliza watching as Santana's eyes followed Brittany's every movement. The blonde cheerleader smiled widely at the both of them, offering a big thumbs up as she settled into one of the chairs. Last, of course, was Mr. Schue, smiling widely when he saw Eliza and Santana already standing at the front, ready to deliver their duet.

"You guys are quite eager, huh?" the teacher teased.

Santana looked like she was going to be sick, so Eliza just chirped, "Yes sir. Trust me when I say it'll be hard for everyone to follow us."

Everyone whooped and cheered, Mr. Schue just laughing in response and gesturing for them to go for it. Santana parted her mouth and looked like she was about to say something, but then it closed again and she nodded over at the guitar player to start.

 _"I hear the clock, it's six a.m._

 _I feel so far from where I've been_

 _I got my eggs, I got my pancakes too_

 _I got my maple syrup, everything but you_

 _I break the yolks and make a smiley face_

 _I kinda like it in my brand new place_

 _I wipe the spots up off the mirror_

 _Don't leave the keys in the door_

 _I never put wet towels on the floor anymore"_

Santana's voice is clear as she sings the first stanza of the song, her voice bleeding with emotion. She is just standing in place but Eliza knows that every eye in the room is on the Latina as she sings.

 _"'Cause dreams last so long_

 _Even after you're gone_

 _I know that you love me_

 _And soon you will see_

 _You were meant for me_

 _And I was meant for you"_

Eliza's voice joins Santana's for the chorus, but this is Santana's song so she doesn't attempt to overpower the other girl's voice. The Latina is singing so passionately, and although she never looks directly at Brittany, everyone knows who she is singing to.

 _"I called my momma, she was out for a walk_

 _Consoled a cup of coffee but it didn't wanna talk_

 _So I picked up the paper, it was more bad news_

 _More hearts being broken or people being used_

 _Put on my coat in the pouring rain_

 _I saw a movie it just wasn't the same_

 _'Cause it was happy or I was sad_

 _And it made me miss you oh so bad 'cause_

 _Dreams last so long_

 _Even after you're gone_

 _I know that you love me_

 _And soon you will see_

 _You were meant for me_

 _And I was meant for you_

 _I go about my business, I'm doing fine_

 _Besides what would I say if I had you on the line?_

 _Same old story, not much to say_

 _Hearts are broken, everyday"_

Santana shrugs her shoulders, open and emotional as she pours her heart out to the audience, to Brittany.

 _"I brush my teeth, I put the cap back on_

 _know you hate it when I leave the light on_

 _I pick a book up and then I turn the sheets down_

 _And then I take a deep breath and a good look around_

 _Put on my pj's and hop into bed_

 _I'm half alive but I feel mostly dead_

 _I try and tell myself it'll all be alright_

 _I just shouldn't think anymore tonight 'cause_

 _Dreams last so long_

 _Even after you're gone_

 _And I know that you love me_

 _And soon you will see_

 _You were meant for me_

 _And I was meant for you_

 _Yeah, you were meant for me and I was meant for you"_

Santana's voice was so strong, so convinced about what she was singing, as she finished the last line of the song even as tears began to drip down her cheeks. Immediately Eliza wrapped the cheerleader in a tight hug which Santana reciprocated. "That was amazing," the brunette breathed in Santana's ear. When she pulled away, Santana smiled at her, a real, genuine smile, and Eliza felt her heart flutter. _Uh oh_ , she thought.

Everyone seemed to be stunned by just how raw the cheerleader's performance was. Obviously they weren't used to seeing Santana so vulnerable. But once again, everyone started clapping and cheering, including Mr. Schue despite the fact that their song wasn't exactly a duet since Santana did most of the singing. The Latina wiped tears from her eyes and laughed, slightly embarrassed. "I'm just gonna take a breather," Santana whispered to Eliza. Eliza felt incredibly lucky to be privy to that information and just nodded her head in response.

Santana exited the classroom, Brittany immediately standing up and following her best friend. Eliza would have stopped her, but she knew that them talking would be for the best. The brunette detected a faint ache in her heart area but immediately stamped it out. She couldn't develop actual feelings for the Cheerio, not now. Attraction was one thing, but _liking_ Santana? That would lead to trouble.

"Well," Mr. Schue eventually interrupted the silence, "You might be right, Eliza. That probably will be hard to follow."

Everyone called out their agreement as Eliza made her way back to her seat between Artie and Rachel. Of course Rachel is the next to volunteer, Eliza having to stifle her laughter at the expression on Quinn's face. Santana had always been cruel to Rachel, but Quinn was the arch-nemesis Rachel always complained about. Well, the arch-nemesis who Rachel was determined to turn into her friend. Judging by Quinn's expression, though, that friendship wouldn't be forming anytime soon.

Eliza tried to listen to her friend's duet, and then the duets that came after Rachel and Quinn's, but she was admittedly very distracted. All she could think about was what Brittany and Santana were talking about right this second. Eliza's face scrunched— she hoped they weren't making out or something. Immediately she chastised herself for this thought, reminding herself that it was her who had encouraged Santana to keep pursuing Brittany. Well, more or less… Her own advice was pretty confusing even for her. At first it was half move on and half don't give up, but after Eliza had more or less rejected Santana's kiss, it had turned more into "don't give up on Brittany just yet" _variety of advice_.

After Artie and Mercedes' duet, near the end of the meeting, Brittany and Santana re-entered the room. The Latina's eyes were red with fresh tears, but her pinky was interlocked with Brittany's. Eliza was shocked— hurt, even— when Santana looked at her then quickly looked away, very obviously avoiding eye contact. Not even in a bitchy way, but almost… embarrassed? The Cheerio took a seat next to Brittany in the back row, and Eliza refused to allow herself to feel something as stupid as jealousy. She forced herself to feel happy that the two had obviously reconciled.

Finally the bell rang and Eliza stood, shouldering her bag. She said her goodbyes to Rachel and Artie and a few others before making her way out of the room. What was she supposed to do, wait for Santana? They weren't exactly friends and if she and Brittany were a thing now, the best thing for Eliza to do would be to give them space. Especially now that the brunette had begun to develop… whatever for the cheerleader. Eliza certainly wasn't going to get between Brittany and Santana, she wasn't that type of girl.

Eliza was removing some of her books from her locker when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Expecting Rachel, Eliza was surprised to see Brittany staring down at her when she turned around. _Damn, she's pretty,_ Eliza thought, momentarily amazed by the blonde's striking blue eyes. She wasn't surprised at all that Santana liked her. "Hey," Eliza breathed, because she didn't know what else to say.

"I wanted to say thanks, for taking care of San for me," Brittany replied, bypassing the pleasantries and skipping straight to what she wanted to say. "That's like, really cool of you."

Eliza arched her eyebrows in surprise but nodded slowly. "Oh, uh, yeah, of course. I really didn't do that much." The brunette shrugged her shoulders dismissively.

Brittany smiled widely. "No, you totally did! Like, when you first were in glee I kinda thought you were Rachel's less annoying clone or something, but San says that the song was your idea and that you're actually really cool."

Eliza laughed a bit, nodding her head. "I'm surprised she said that," she admitted. "She pretty much hated me before the duet thing."

Brittany nodded as well. "Oh yeah, totally," she agreed, "She thought you were super obnoxious and lame. But she says your sweet lady kisses made a _huge_ difference."

The Cheerio's wide grin and nonchalance, plus the fact that she even knew about Eliza and Santana's kissing, shocked the brunette into speechlessness. After a few seconds Eliza choked out, "Santana told you about that?!" Shaking her head and hurrying to explain herself, Eliza rushed, "I'm really sorry Brittany, I pulled away almost immediately and told Santana that if she loved you she should fight for you, I didn't mean to—"

Brittany surprised Eliza once again by wrapping her in a hug. A rather pleasant hug, actually, the blonde seemed to be really good at it. Eliza tentatively squeezed the cheerleader back, and Brittany eventually pulled away. "Don't worry about it," the blonde urged, not a hint of anger and sadness in her twinkling blue eyes. "I love San more than anyone else in the world, but…" Brittany chewed on her bottom lip and shrugged. "I love Artie, too. I just want her to be happy, and I told her that she should totally make out with whoever she wants to. You seem really good for her," the blonde said, gripping Eliza's hands with her own.

Eliza was blown away by the cheerleader's genuineness and honesty. She had thought of Brittany originally as a cliche dumb blonde, but now she saw in her what Santana must have always seen. "Thank you," Eliza said softly, smiling up at Brittany. "I don't know what's going to happen with Santana and I, but I appreciate you giving us your blessing."

Brittany frowned. "Don't you have to go to a church or something for that?"

Eliza laughed and squeezed Brittany's hand. "You're probably right."

Brittany's megawatt smile reappeared. "If you need tips about what Santana likes, don't be afraid to ask. About kissing or anything else." The blonde winked knowingly before turning on her heel, her Cheerios skirt swishing as she walked away.

Eliza was frozen in mortification, her cheeks red. This was a pretty strange situation she had found herself in, and she wasn't sure if she liked it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Just saying, guys... Pretty big chapter ahead of you. I love getting reviews so please, let me know what you think! 3**

* * *

The next couple of days were spent with Eliza and Santana seemingly just missing each other. They didn't share any classes together, and Santana sat with the Cheerios at lunch, so the most that Eliza saw of the Latina was glimpses in the hallways and at glee. Even at glee, though, they didn't interact. Eliza was still mentally debating on how to handle the new situation she had stumbled into. Brittany had made it clear in their conversation that it was A-okay for Eliza to pursue Santana, but she wasn't sure what to do with that yet. Eliza wasn't a relationship type person, and Santana didn't seem to be either, but she didn't want to sleep with Santana just because it would be fun.

At the end of the next glee practice, Santana got up in front of the group and shouted out, "Alright, nerds, my parents are out of town Friday night for some business thing, so party at my house starting at 9." A few people whooped, Puck clapping and cheering the loudest. "And y'all are invited, even you, Berry," Santana taunted, eyes narrowing and arms folding as she nodded towards the diva. "If only because your last party turned out to be shockingly decent."

Rachel smiled and clapped excitedly, turning to beam at Eliza who just looked confused. Rachel, having a decent party? That _was_ pretty shocking. Santana and Eliza locked eyes, but it only lasted for half a second before Santana locked arms with Brittany and left the choir room. The brunette puffed out a breath, waiting for Rachel and Finn as they gathered their things.

"You planning on going to Santana's party, Eliza?" the tall teenage boy asked her curiously. "It should be wild, her parties always are. At the last one, Santana ended up giving Brittany a lap dance, it was-" Rachel sharply elbowed her boyfriend, shooting him a glare. Finn smiled sheepishly and ruffled his hair, "Oh, sorry, Eliza. Kinda forgot you had a thing for her."

Eliza shook her head amusedly and raised an eyebrow at Rachel. "So much for keeping this on the down-low, Rach," she commented to her friend, though she wasn't really all that mad. She knew that Rachel told her boyfriend everything, so she was expecting that Finn would find out about whatever she and Santana had between them eventually.

"Sorry," Rachel winced. Eager to change the subject, the diva continued, "Anyway, I think you should definitely attend the party, Eliza. I believe it would be a good opportunity for you to grow closer to Santana. Although I do not necessarily approve of underage drinking, alcohol may loosen your tongues, in lack of a better phrase, and allow you to truly share your feelings."

Eliza just hummed and rolled her eyes. "I don't know about that," she said, "But I don't have plans Friday, so I might as well go if just to be able to hang out with everyone from glee."

Eliza hoped that she figured out what to say to Santana by her party, because right now, she had nothing.

Xxx

Finally, Friday night rolled around. Kurt had agreed to be a designated driver since he had to wake up early the next morning anyway, so he gave Eliza, Tina, Mike, and Mercedes a ride to the party. Santana lived in a pretty swanky-looking house, which Eliza didn't find all that surprising since the Latina liked to brag about how her father was a doctor. Kurt rang the doorbell and Brittany answered, enthusiastically hugging everyone and gesturing for them to step inside. She, Quinn, and Sam were the only ones who were there yet and led the group down to the finished Lopez basement where Santana was setting up the alcohol on a table.

The rest of the glee clubbers and some Cheerios and jocks that Eliza didn't know drifted in gradually. By the time everyone was there, Eliza already had a drink her hand and was dancing with Tina and Mercedes on the makeshift "dance floor" to some Top-40 song Eliza had forgotten the name of. For the majority of the party, she and Santana didn't interact- not because they were purposely ignoring each other, but just because there were a lot of other people to socialize with.

Eliza usually wasn't a big drinker, but she felt like she needed to let loose a little like Rachel had said so she allowed Puck to hand her another beer. She hated the taste of beer, but at this point, she was buzzed enough that the taste didn't matter. The brunette laughed when Puck grabbed her hand and twirled her over to the dance floor. His large hands rested on her hips, and though she had half a mind to push him away, the sensation wasn't unpleasant. So Eliza just closed her eyes and danced- they weren't grinding, but there wasn't a lot of space between them either, and at the moment she didn't care.

Halfway through the song, Eliza was aware of vague slurred shouting over the music. "Fuck off, Puckerman!" Before she could even open her eyes, Puck's large hands left her sides and were immediately replaced by smaller, more feminine ones.

Eliza's eyes snapped open and she wasn't totally unsurprised to see the lidded eyes of Santana staring back at her. The brunette noticed for the first time that night how amazing the Cheerio looked- her hair was half-up and half-down, her makeup was flawless, and she was wearing a crop top and jeans that looked painted on. Eliza realized that this was the first time she had seen Santana without her cheerleading uniform on, and _damn_ did she look good in jeans. The brunette hated but loved the way her breath quickened when Santana sidled even closer, pulling Eliza's hips closer too.

"What are you doing?" Eliza eventually murmured, her hands instinctively resting on Santana's waist as well. "You must be really drunk."

Santana just tossed her a smirk that admittedly sent a rush of blood to Eliza's unmentionables. "You're drunk, too," Santana pointed out then suddenly frowned. "Can't believe you were dancing with fuckin' _Puckerman_ , the man whore." Santana's voice was bitter and irritated, her fingers hooking into the belt loops of Eliza's jeans possessively.

Eliza tilted her head back and laughed before tucking a lock of Santana's hair behind her ear. The alcohol in her system making her brazen, the brunette leaned forward and breathed in the Latina's ear, "What, you jealous?"

She felt the way that Santana shuddered and was immensely pleased with herself for invoking that reaction in the cheerleader. The smugness didn't last for long, however, as in a matter of seconds Santana was sliding a hand up her shirt. It didn't go far, just stroked Eliza's side, but Santana's fingers on her bare skin sent electricity up and down the brunette's body.

Eliza responded by wrapping her arms around the Cheerio's neck, pressing her forehead against Santana's as they swayed to the beat. Eliza knew that they were many people around them, but the music was loud and she was drunk and, yes, fine, _horny_ , so frankly she didn't care. Finally she bridged the gap and pressed her lips against Santana's, engaging in a kiss that was much rougher and more passionate than the last one they shared. Though it was a bit sloppy because they were both drunk, it felt perfect, and Eliza lost herself in the feeling.

Santana's hand eventually slid downward from under Eliza's shirt to the girl's ass. Eliza usually wasn't one for groping, but Santana made it seem weirdly romantic. Despite the alcohol in her system, Eliza still felt a bit uncomfortable and reluctantly pulled away from the kiss. "Maybe we shouldn't do this here," Eliza hummed against Santana's neck, purposefully not looking up. Alcohol was giving her the courage to make her move on the Latina, but she knew that if she saw just one person staring, Eliza would lose her nerve.

Santana withdrew her hand and nodded knowingly. "Yeah," she agreed, dazed, "Yeah." Eliza felt her heart drop. Santana looked like she was beginning to sober, and selfishly, Eliza wondered what that meant for them. The brunette opened her mouth to suggest they just go socialize with other people when Santana grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the stairs. Surprised, Eliza followed.

The pair were intercepted by a rather irritated-looking Quinn Fabray. The blonde had a cup of alcohol in her hand, but Eliza could tell she hadn't been drinking a lot. "What are you doing?" the head cheerleader demanded, her hazel eyes sliding over to Eliza and narrowing. Eliza just smiled, feeling uncomfortable under the critical gaze of the HBIC.

"Relax, Q," Santana grumbled, her own annoyance bleeding through. "Don't worry about it." She tried to shoulder past the blonde, but her attempts were unsuccessful as Quinn stepped in front of them again. Santana leveled her with her best bitch glare, but Quinn didn't falter.

"This is your party, Santana," Quinn pointed out tersely, "You can't just ditch it to—" Her gaze fell back on Eliza and she gestured vaguely with a hand.

"You're right, _Stretch Marks_ ," Santana gritted out, "This is _my_ party, and _my_ house, so I can do whatever the fuck I want. You can either step aside, or I'll move you myself." Quinn just scoffed, putting her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes. "Alright, if that's the way it's gon' be," Santana agreed, moving forward aggressively.

"Santana," Eliza suddenly interjected, grabbing her arm gently. Santana rounded on her, but the Latina's glare softened in a matter of seconds. "I think it would be best if we just got back to the party," she murmured, tilting her head and smiling. Though Eliza still felt the arousal low in her stomach, she wasn't willing to cause trouble just because the drunk, horny part of her brain wanted to have sex with Santana.

"No," Quinn interrupted, surprising both girls. Santana and Eliza looked back at the blonde in confusion. "Do whatever you want," she said, rolling her eyes in irritation. "But you better be back down here before everyone leaves because I am not cleaning up after you." Quinn glanced at Eliza, and the girl was shocked to see some kind of understanding in the cheerleader's eyes before she turned and walked away.

Santana turned back to Eliza, unable to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry," she sighed, "People try to fuck with me and I go straight to the yelling place."

Eliza laughed and seized Santana's hands, moving closer to the Cheerio. "I think this basement's a little too crowded," she murmured, voice heavy with insinuation. Santana's face erupted in a grin and she nodded in agreement, pulling Eliza up the stairs with her.

The two girls were laughing as Santana led them to her bedroom. As soon as the door was slammed shut behind them, Eliza pressed the Latina against it, her mouth going to Santana's throat. Santana rumbled in pleasure and grabbed the backs of Eliza's thighs, hoisting the smaller teenager up. Eliza wrapped her arms around Santana's neck and when the cheerleader brought her over to the bed, dragged her down onto it.

For a few minutes the two girls kissed hungrily, but then hands started wandering, and before Eliza knew it they were undressing, too. Eliza laid back on the bed in just her bra and underwear, watching as Santana slid out of her jeans. When they reestablished eye contact they exchanged grins and came together once again.

Xxx

Eliza's eyes closed as she recovered from her second orgasm. "Oh my god," she gasped out, still feeling the residual waves of pleasure. Her eyes fluttered open again and she sat up to look at Santana who crawled up the bed to settle next to her.

Santana laughed and nodded. "Yeah," she agreed, similarly breathless. The two girls laid back in silence for a few minutes before the cheerleader rolled off the side of the bed to stand and throw her clothes back on. "I'm gonna go tell everyone to fuck off," Santana told Eliza, moving toward the door once she was clothed but hesitating before she left. "Stay over tonight," Santana said, trying to sound firm though her voice was more unsure of itself than demanding. The 'stay with _me_ ' part was implied.

Eliza thought about it. She _was_ still pretty drunk, and the sex _had_ made her mind a bit hazy. Her parents knew that she was at this party, so if she told them she'd had a few drinks and was just going to sleep over Santana's, they'd have no problem with it. Making her decision, Eliza nodded and agreed, "Okay."

Santana smiled. "I'll be right back." The Latina exited the room, closing the door behind her, and Eliza let out a long breath. She wasn't sure what exactly she was doing, but she didn't care. The brunette grabbed her phone from where she had haphazardly tossed it on Santana's bedside table. She shot out a quick text to her parents— it was only 11 o'clock so she knew one of them was bound to be awake. Sure enough, a few minutes later her mother texted back, telling her that was fine, to be safe, and to call them in the morning.

By the time Santana came back to the room, Eliza was beginning to nod off. She was aware of Santana pulling the covers over her and the Latina sliding into bed next to her before Eliza surrendered to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

The first thing that Eliza was aware of when she woke up the next morning was that she was not in her own bed. Vague confusion and a headache clouding her mind, the brunette cracked her eyes open. As soon as she got a good look at her surroundings, Eliza's memories from the night before filtered back into her mind.

She didn't exactly panic— she'd had a lot of fun with Santana, and she didn't regret sleeping with her, exactly. Eliza was just slightly disappointed in herself for jumping into sex because that wasn't the kind of person she wanted to be. Releasing a quiet sigh, Eliza slid out of the bed, careful not to wake Santana.

It seemed that the Latina was already awake, however, because as soon as Eliza was fully dressed and moving towards the door, Santana's voice called out. "Where're you goin'?" she mumbled, sitting up in bed and blinking the sleep out of her eyes. "You don't have to just— to just leave, or anything." Once again, Eliza detected the vulnerability behind Santana's voice.

The brunette hesitated for a moment, her arms crossing over her chest. "Santana…" she trailed off, running her fingers through her hair. "We had a lot of fun last night, but I don't think this is a good idea. In my experience, sex leads to feelings, and I don't think either of us are ready for that." Eliza shook her head. Yes, she was out of the closet, but that wasn't what she was concerned about. Lusting after the popular bitchy cheerleader was one thing, but falling for her… Eliza had been there, done that, and been burned because of it. She could only make the same bad decision so many times before she finally learned from her mistakes.

Santana scoffed and her eyes rolled in that dramatic, dismissive way of hers. "Yeah, well, I think that's bullshit," she said bluntly. "Sex doesn't have to mean anything. In fact, I think sex is better without any feelings or attachments." Her dark eyes settled moodily on Eliza, and the brunette had to laugh at how adorably pouty the Cheerio looked.

Eliza supposed that making that same bad decision one more time wouldn't break her heart completely. "Well, I guess the sex _was_ pretty okay," she sighed, shrugging her shoulders as she moved back to the bed. "I mean, I've had better, but it was good enough…"

Santana scowled, playfully this time. "Yeah, right," she taunted, diving forward and, once she seized Eliza's hands, dragged the girl downward. Eliza yelped in surprise and laughed as Santana wrestled her onto the bed, the noise turning into a whine when Santana kissed her neck.

"I have to call my mom," Eliza suddenly remembered, reaching towards her phone. Santana groaned but rolled off of her. The brunette attempted to sound as calm and normal on the phone as possible despite Santana's wandering hands and mouth. Once Eliza hung up, she pushed Santana's shoulder playfully. Santana settled back and laughed, the teens falling into a comfortable silence.

"I know we're not— whatever," Eliza eventually began, deciding she might as well broach the subject. Santana's attention turned to the girl, her brow already beginning to furrow. "But… the sex isn't completely without attachments, right?" She turned on her side in the bed to look at the Latina. "We haven't really been friends… I mean, you have kind of been ignoring me after our duet…" Santana opened her mouth to explain, but Eliza shook her head. "No, I get it. I just want to move past that, and be friends, okay?"

Santana nodded slowly, tucking a hand under her head as she rested on the bed. "Friends," she repeated. After a moment, a devious smirk reappeared on her lips. "Well, friends with benefits," the Latina corrected cheekily, and Eliza couldn't help but giggle.

"Yeah, sure," Eliza agreed, rolling her eyes. "Friends with benefits." The brunette had the vague notion that they were seriously kidding themselves when they said there were no feelings involved, but she immediately dismissed those thoughts. She was going to be guaranteed regular sex with a gorgeous young woman who wanted her just as much as Eliza wanted her… Eliza had no right to complain, and she was determined not to.

Xxx

The two girls spent the rest of the day relaxing and having lazy sex, Eliza eventually having to leave to go back to her house. She spent the rest of the weekend texting Santana relentlessly, and though there was admittedly some sexting going on, they mostly talked about glee and movies and whatever else came up in the conversation. Things were unsurprisingly different between them after Santana's party- not just with their constant communication, but with how they interacted when in public as well.

At glee club, Santana dropped into the seat next to Eliza, immediately beginning to rant about her English teacher as if everything was absolutely normal. Eliza didn't mind the nonchalance of it all, however, because she was getting exactly what she wanted- Santana's attention. The time that they spent together increased over the course of the week until it was glaringly noticeable to their peers.

On Wednesday during lunch, Eliza walked into the lunch room with Rachel. The two made their way to their normal table, sitting with Kurt, Mercedes, and Tina. After greeting them, Eliza's head turned instinctively to look over at where she knew Santana would be sitting. It seemed like Santana felt Eliza's gaze on her, because her head turned as well and the two teenagers' eyes locked. Eliza smiled and gave a slight wave, expecting Santana to wave back and that would be that. However, Eliza felt a burst of irritation when Santana faced her cheerleading friends again. Trying not to overthink it, the brunette redirected her attention to the group and tried to pay attention to Kurt as he explained to the girls what hair products he used.

Eliza nearly jumped when she felt a body slide into the table next to her a few minutes later, not expecting it. A smile spread across her face when she saw that it was Santana, pleasantly surprised. "Hey," she greeted, sliding over to give the cheerleader room. When the brunette looked back over at her other friends, she had to stifle a laugh at the shocked expressions on their faces.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Kurt began incredulously, "Santana, did you fall off the pyramid at practice and hit your head so hard you forgot where the Cheerios table is?"

Santana's eyes narrowed and she pointed her plastic fork at Kurt threateningly. "You have a problem with me sitting here, Lady Lips?" she demanded, flipping open the top of her salad. Eliza once again tried not to laugh, a hand lifting to cover the smile on her face.

Kurt exchanged looks with Mercedes before sitting back and shaking his head. "Of course not," he said primly, eyes flickering over to Eliza and giving her a look that she couldn't quite decipher. "The diva table is open to everyone."

Santana just rolled her eyes and turned her body to talk to Eliza, a clear sign that the brunette was the only person at that table she cared to talk to. Eliza wasn't sure whether to feel honored or offended for the others, but the former won out in the end. "Anyway." Santana stabbed at pieces of lettuce with her fork before looking up at Eliza, her expression smoothing into a smile. "We should hang out tonight," Santana commented before taking a bite of her salad, her eyes carefully tracking Eliza's face. It was clear by the mischievous arch of Santana's brow that she had less than PG plans for the evening.

"Sure," Eliza agreed easily, determined to remain coy. "Want to come over after school? We can watch a few movies or something." Eliza did intend on putting in a movie or two, but she wasn't sure how much watching they would actually be doing.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll meet you at the front of the school again?"

Eliza nodded her head and smiled, teasing, "Looking forward to it."

"I hope that you won't forget to study for our US History unit test, Eliza," Rachel piped up. Eliza looked over and wasn't overly surprised to see the rest of the table non-discretely staring at them. She couldn't really be mad at them- she knew that Santana being nice to someone other than Brittany was exceptionally rare. The only thing that made her a little bit nervous was wondering what they all thought the nature of her and Santana's relationship was, but Eliza wasn't about to bring that up.

Eliza just shrugged her shoulders in response to Rachel's nagging, having gotten used to it at this point in their friendship. "You know that I prefer to wing those sorts of things, Rach," she laughed. Honestly it was a miracle that she hadn't flunked out of high school by this point- she wasn't exactly a motivated student, and she liked to think that she got good grades thanks to pure luck and charisma alone.

Rachel sighed disappointedly and shook her head, taking a bite of her vegan pasta. Santana had a smirk on her face when Eliza looked back over at her. "Well," Santana began, shrugging one of her shoulders, "I'm sure we can make a little time to study. Don't you think?" Although her voice was not completely suggestive, Eliza still knew what she was implying and felt her cheeks heat up without her permission.

"Right," Eliza coughed, looking downward at her phone to distract herself. She could only imagine the looks that her friends were sharing at that not-too-subtle exchange. Santana bumped her leg against Eliza's and laughed rather evilly. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Rachel started talking about what she thought the next glee assignment should be and everyone enthusiastically contributed to the conversation, wanting to move past the awkwardness.

The bell rang and everyone lifted themselves up from the lunch tables. "Seeya later," Santana called out to Eliza, another flash of her devious smirk appearing before she headed off to catch up with the Cheerios, red pleated skirt swishing sinfully. Kurt and Mercedes looked like they wanted to pounce on Eliza for details, but she hurried out of the cafeteria before they could catch her.

Unfortunately, though, Eliza would not be able to shake off a certain diva who she shared her next class with. "Are you going to tell me about your newfound relationship with Santana, or will I be forced to nag you about it?" Rachel teased lightly once the two had settled into their seats in Spanish.

Eliza groaned and rubbed her temples. "I wouldn't call it a relationship," she eventually replied. "We're just friends." _Friends who give each other amazing orgasms,_ the brunette amended mentally.

Rachel gave her a disapproving and almost hurt look. "Please, Eliza, I'm not blind. There is clearly something going on between you and Santana that is more than simple friendship."

Eliza chewed on her lip, trying to think of how to explain the situation to Rachel without 1. making herself sound like the horny teenager she clearly was and 2. betraying Santana's trust. They hadn't exactly sworn each other to secrecy, but Eliza didn't want to kiss and tell, either, especially since Santana wasn't technically out of the closet in the first place. "We aren't dating, but we're…" Eliza responded, trailing off and gesturing vaguely, hoping that Rachel got the idea.

The diva just shook her head as she removed the Spanish homework from one of her impeccably organized binders. "Eliza, I don't have to remind you how badly similar situations have hurt you in the past," Rachel sighed, dropping the papers and looking earnestly at her friend. "It's not that I don't trust your judgement, but I know that it is easily clouded. Which is why I'm here to point out when you are walking down the tempting path of self-destruction again."

Eliza rolled her eyes at Rachel's dramatics although she knew what Rachel was saying and appreciated that her friend respected her enough to be honest with her. "I know, I know," Eliza mumbled. "And I know I say this every time, too, but this is just… different, okay, it feels different. I haven't known Santana for long and I hate that I've jumped into this like I always do, but who cares if it makes me happy and feel good?" She shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

Rachel nodded slowly. Eliza knew that the girl didn't quite understand, but tried to without judging her friend. "I just want you to be careful. With your emotions, and with Santana's as well. Santana has not been the kindest to me, but she is a member of the team, and I care about her." Eliza smiled and nodded, the teacher calling for the class's attention.

Eliza understood what Rachel was trying to say, and she had the same reservations as well. In fact, she was less concerned about her own feelings and was more concerned about hurting Santana. No matter how tough the Latina acted, Eliza had gotten a peek at how vulnerable the cheerleader really was. Eliza would hate herself if she accidentally hurt the girl, especially after all that Santana had been through with Brittany. For not the first or last time, the brunette wondered if she should cut things off with Santana before things got too serious.


	7. Chapter 7

Unsurprisingly, Eliza's heart won out over her head. After school she brought Santana to her house, and they got about halfway through an episode of America's Next Top Model in her room before Santana's hand started creeping up Eliza's thigh. Eliza spent a few minutes trying to ignore the Latina's touching before giving in to the pleasurable sensations. The brunette calmly picked up the remote and shut off the TV before turning to Santana and seizing her lips in a kiss.

The two teenagers took their time teasing and pleasuring each other, not wanting to rush anything. After an hour or two, they were in a particularly compromising situation when a car door slammed outside the house. Santana's entire body froze, and Eliza whined in response, trying to grind closer to the cheerleader. "Relax," the brunette hummed into the Cheerio's neck, "My mom doesn't get out of work until 6, it was probably the neighbors."

Santana nodded in response. She relaxed into Eliza's touch, tilting her head back to allow Eliza's lips to graze her throat. The little moan she released was not enough, however, to mask the sound of shuffling about downstairs and then Eliza's mother calling her name up the stairs. This time, both girls stiffened and made eye contact. In a matter of seconds, they were springing apart and pulling on their clothes, smoothing down their hair and trying to look as normal as possible. Eliza's mother's footsteps echoed up the stairs and progressed closer, Eliza flipping on the TV last minute and resuming the episode of America's Next Top Model.

Eliza's door opened. Her mother looked surprised to see Santana lounging on Eliza's bed with her daughter, but if she had any idea what they had just been doing, her face didn't show it. "Oh, hello," the older woman said pleasantly, smiling as her gaze slid to Eliza.

"Mom, this is my friend Santana," Eliza introduced to her mother, the Cheerio giving a slightly sheepish smile and wave. Making her voice sound as calm and casual as physically possible, Eliza pointed out, "You're home early."

"Yeah," her mom sighed, "I wasn't really feeling well, I've had a massive headache all day and just wanted to come home and relax." She shrugged her shoulders before looking back at Santana. "Nice to meet you, Santana. Are you planning on staying for dinner?"

Santana paused for the briefest of moments before she gave Mrs. Crane her most charming, perfect cheerleader smile. "I really appreciate it, but I promised my abuela that I would help her make dinner tonight. Actually," the Latina slid off the bed and glanced at her phone, "I should probably head home before it gets dark."

Eliza knew that her excuse was bullshit- Santana hadn't mentioned anything about having to be home at a certain time, much less having to cook with her grandmother. However, she was certainly convincing, and Eliza wasn't sure whether to be impressed or scared by the girl's easy lying. "I'm going to drive her home then I'll be back," Eliza added, turning off the TV and walking towards her door.

Mrs. Crane nodded and stepped back to led the two teenagers exit the room. "Sounds good," she agreed easily. "Have a great night, Santana!"

"Thanks Mrs. Crane," the Latina called out to her as the teenagers went down the stairs. Santana shrugged on her Cheerios jacket and slipped on her shoes, Eliza doing the same and grabbing her keys before they went out to Eliza's car.

"Well," Eliza huffed out as they slammed the doors shut, "We certainly dodged a bullet, there." The two girls burst out laughing, even though that situation could have had potentially disastrous (and awkward) consequences.

"Ay, dios mio," Santana groaned, putting her head in her hands and shaking it. "I thought I was gonna have a fuckin' heart attack." Eliza laughed and murmured her agreement, putting the car into drive and sliding out of her driveway. "I think we're gonna have to be way more careful in the future about where we gets it ons."

Eliza glanced over at Santana and smiled, secretly pleased that Santana wasn't totally spooked by Eliza's mother almost discovering them. "Agreed." After a moment, she added, "Yeah, I'm really sorry about that… At least she didn't walk in on us or anything, because unfortunately, that has happened before and I don't want to repeat that experience."

"Seriously?" Santana said incredulously, her eyes locked on the side of Eliza's face.

Eliza sighed and nodded her head in embarrassment. "Yep. Luckily I was already out, because although my parents were totally cool with me being bi, I don't think my poor mother could have handled that kind of shock." The brunette laughed, just imagining how her mother would have reacted to seeing her with a girl, esepcially if she didn't already know about her daughter's sexuality.

Santana's jaw practically dropped. "Damn," she mused, her back falling back against the carseat. "That's totally mortifying. My mom has walked in on me making out with a guy, but I couldn't imagine if I was with a girl…" The Latina trailed off and shook her head, and Eliza was reminded of Santana's current place in the closet. They hadn't talked about Santana's sexuality or her relationship with her parents. In fact, they hadn't talked all that much about anything deep, but Eliza got the impression that Santana was terrified to come out which she totally understood.

"It wasn't that bad," Eliza continued, shrugging. "I mean, we were almost fully clothed and it was just heavy petting so my mom didn't see anything too traumatic for her. It was embarrassing for a while, and my parents gave me 'the talk'," Eliza did air quotes with one hand, "and instilled an open door rule from then on, but they were overall a lot cooler with it than I thought they would be. I guess the main reason why they weren't super pissed was because they knew I couldn't have gotten pregnant."

Santana hummed in response, and when Eliza glanced over, she saw that Santana was staring out the window. Eliza decided that she'd better change the conversation to a more light-hearted topic. After a pause, she grumbled, "Honestly, I'm just pissed that I'm all worked up now." Eliza waited until Santana was looking at her again to continued nonchalantly, "And you have to go home to help your abuela cook so I guess I'm just gonna have to go lock myself in my room for a bit. Not the same, though." Eliza released a long, dramaticized sigh. "Oh, well… Guess you're gonna have to make it up to me sometime."

She glanced back over at Santana and almost shuddered at the dark, lustful look in the cheerleader's eyes. Santana slowly reached over a hand and placed it on Eliza's thigh, dangerously close to where Eliza needed her touch the most. Santana leaned close to Eliza's ear and breathed, "Don't worry, I will." Eliza's whole body tightened with a spike of arousal. "Don't drive past my house," Santana reminded, removing her hand from the girl's thigh to point at her house coming up.

"'Course not," Eliza mumbled, pulling into the cheerleader's driveway and trying to clear her mind. The brunette put the car in park and looked over at Santana, barely keeping herself from jumping the Cheerio right in front of the girl's house. Eliza's eyes dropped to Santana's lips then bounced back upward, trying to determine if it would be too domestic if she leaned in for a quick goodbye kiss. Quickly deciding against it, Eliza settled on just smiling and teasing, "Better go in and help your abuela."

Santana rolled her eyes and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Right," she agreed, climbing out of the car and grabbing her backpack. "I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe I'll find a way to give you what you missed out on." A devious smirk on her lips, the Latina winked before slamming the car door shut and making her way into her house.

Eliza sighed and pressed her forehead into the steering wheel- this girl was going to be the death of her. After a few seconds she sat back up and made her way back to her own home, wondering what her mother would have to say about Santana. She had the sinking suspicion that her mom was going to say something.

When she got back home, Eliza slid off her shoes and jacket and padded into the kitchen, deciding to just face the music now instead of later. Sure enough, her mother turned from where she was looking through the mail and quirked an eyebrow. "So," the woman began in a voice that was innocent enough, "I've never heard you mention a Santana before."

Eliza kept herself from rolling her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "We just became friends recently," she replied a bit defensively. "We met at glee."

Mrs. Crane nodded her head slowly. "Friends?" she pressed gently, and Eliza couldn't help but groan.

"Mom," Eliza said embarrassedly, turning to the fridge to hide the pink tinge to her cheeks. "Santana and I are just friends, okay? Please drop it." Eliza wasn't sure if that was a complete lie or not- they were friends, but did friends with benefits count as something different?

Eliza's mother threw up her hands dismissively. "Alright, alright," she chuckled, "I won't nag you about it." The older woman paused before saying gently, "But, the open door policy still applies, okay?"

Eliza sighed and nodded, figuring that what her mother didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Eliza liked to talk to her mom about almost everything, but sex was one topic she preferred not to broach. Her mom knew about Holly, if only because Eliza had been such a heartbroken mess after that, but she didn't know all the details. Eliza supposed she just didn't want to disappoint her parents with the knowledge that she tended to fall hard and fast and jump into physical relationships. It wasn't like Eliza slept around- not that that was bad as long as she was being safe- but her sexual experiences were one subject she preferred her parents didn't know about.

Xxx

Eliza managed to evade Kurt and Mercedes' questions for another couple of days. She knew that they were generally well-meaning, but she really didn't care to repeat her conversation with Rachel and just end up feeling bad about herself again. Santana hadn't mentioned anything about being interrogated, which Eliza didn't find all that surprising- Kurt and Mercedes seemed to be terrified of the Cheerio, which amused Eliza greatly. Santana was adorable when she was sweet, but when she was mean… Well, unfortunately that was Eliza's greatest weakness.

It seemed the brunette's luck was about to run out, because after glee club she was ambushed near her locker. Feeling a strong sense of deja vu, Eliza rolled her eyes and turned slowly to face Kurt and Mercedes. "How can I help you?" she sighed, arching her brows as if daring them to say what they wanted to say.

"We were just wondering how you and Santana were going," Kurt began casually, offering her an innocent smile. "You seem to be getting pretty close."

Eliza shrugged her shoulders and began to work on the lock on her locker. "I guess," she agreed, knowing her non-committal answer was going to irritate the two divas. She didn't care if they got irritated, because her relationship with Santana- or lack thereof- was none of their business. Rachel's concern she understood, because Rachel was her closest friend, but these two? The only interest they had shown in Eliza was interest in her love life. Still, they were her teammates, and Eliza would humor them to a point.

"When are you y'guys gonna make it official?" Mercedes asked, and Eliza had to glance over at the bluntness. "I mean, it's pretty obvious that you're together." She shrugged her shoulders as if to say it wasn't a big deal.

Eliza scoffed, feeling a prick of irritation. "We're never going to make it 'official' because we aren't dating," she said shortly, swinging her locker door open. She glanced back over at the two to see them exchange exasperated looks that just made Eliza more annoyed.

"Sweetie," Kurt began in that infuriatingly condescending tone of his, "You are literally wearing Santana's cheerleading sweatshirt." He gestured to Eliza's chest, and her gaze followed his, blushing involuntarily when she found that he was right. She was wearing a old gray sweatshirt of Santana's, the WMHS logo on the front and red lettering on the sleeves that clearly read 'Lopez'. Eliza had just unthinkingly thrown it on that morning, not realizing that it was Santana's. The Cheerio must have forgotten it the last time she went over Eliza's.

"Well," she began slowly, "She must have left it at my house the other day... I didn't even realize I was wearing it." Regaining her bearings, Eliza continued defensively, "It doesn't mean we're dating, okay?"

Kurt and Mercedes sighed in response. "Girl, you need to figure out what you're doin' with Satan. She seems all sweet on you now, but you didn't see her when Britts first started dating Artie."

"That was not pretty," Kurt agreed, grimacing as he remembered. "We just want you to tread carefully. She's like a ticking time bomb, and if you don't handle this carefully, she will explode and take out all of glee club in the process."

Eliza visibly bristled at the two glee clubber's comments. "You know what," she began, wheeling around to face Kurt and Mercedes full-on. "All you two do is tell me how awful Santana is and talk about her behind her back. I know she hasn't been very nice to you in the past but, have either of you even attempted to be nice to her?" she demanded. An incredulous laugh escaped her throat and she shook her head, "Of course not. Everyone in glee club loves to brag about how accepting and inclusive they are, but really, you all are just as judgemental and nosy as the rest of the people in this school. I'm not gonna let you keep talking crap about Santana, so just leave her alone. Leave us alone, because it's none of your business."

The brunette slammed her locker door and shouldered her way past them down the hallway. Eliza didn't usually have much of a temper, but she could only be pushed so far before she snapped. Even if Santana wasn't her girlfriend, she wasn't going to let people talk about her like that. Eliza knew where Santana's next class was so she headed in that direction, wanting to see the cheerleader to calm herself down.

Luckily Santana was leaning against the wall outside her classroom, just like Eliza had expected. When the Cheerio spotted Eliza walking down the hall towards her, her eyes brightened, but Santana's grin quickly turned to a frown when she noticed Eliza's expression. "Woah, that is a serious Snixx death glare," Santana mused, arching her eyebrows. "What the hell happened to you?"

Eliza sighed, already feeling the anger begin to sap out of her just by being in Santana's presence. "I just had to defend your honor, that's what just happened," she teased lightly, a smile tugging at corners of her lips. At Santana's look of confusion, Eliza explained, "Kurt and Mercedes were interrogating me about you and I which turned into a whole 'insult-Santana' session."

Santana scowled, a dark expression coming over her face. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything else from Wheezy and Queen Gay," Santana grumbled, eyes narrowing. "God, they can never mind their own fucking business."

Eliza noticed the girl's fists clenching and, as a matter of habit, reached out to seize one of Santana's hands. "Yeah," she agreed, "But I think, in their own messed up way, they were trying to protect glee club. I wouldn't worry about it, okay? I kind of threatened them." Eliza grinned in a cheesy way, trying to make the cheerleader smile back.

"I don't need you to protect me," Santana said, a hint of irritation in her voice as she glanced away. After a moment, though, the Cheerio sighed and tilted her head at Eliza. "I'm sorry, thank you for not letting those wannabe divas talk shit about me." Eliza smiled and nodded. "I guess that makes you my knight in shining armor, then," Santana eventually joked, rolling her eyes.

Eliza shrugged her shoulders in a show of false modesty. "Of course," she agreed, nodding her head and doing a dramatic bow. "I am forever at your service."

The bell rang and a mischievous grin curled Santana's lips. "I'll remember that," the Latina assured Eliza with a suggestive wink. Their hands slid apart and Santana entered her classroom, shooting her one last smile. Eliza stood there for a few moments with a stupid grin on her face before walking down the hallway to her own class.


	8. Chapter 8

**So, the original plan was to have this story to be eight chapters, but I decided to split this last chapter into two since I'm not totally done writing it yet. Hope you enjoy this second to last bit! :)**

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The next two weeks passed fairly quickly. Eliza spent most of her free time with Santana, watching movies and eating ice cream and talking like normal teenage girls did. Well, plus the sex.

Friday morning, Eliza walked down the hallway towards her locker, planning on swapping out her books for her second class of the day. As soon as the brunette rounded the corner and looked down the hall, however, she was stopped cold in her tracks. It was like she was transported back to freshman year, because leaning against her locker was none other than one Holly Hale. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, and she had traded her Cheerios uniform for a short pink pleated skirt and white blouse. Holly- now a college freshman- was inspecting her flawless nude lipstick in a compact mirror, while Eliza was frozen in place, mesmerized. She hadn't seen Holly in over a year, but she was just as beautiful as Eliza had remembered, maybe even more so.

Eliza swallowed thickly, knowing that she wouldn't be able to avoid Holly forever so she might as well bite the bullet now. Holly was nothing if not persistent- if she wanted to talk to Eliza, she would, if it was the last thing she did. Nerves twisting her stomach, Eliza commanded her body to put one foot in front of the other until she was hovering awkwardly near her ex-girlfriend. "Holly," the brunette managed to get out in greeting, her tongue suddenly feeling a lot heavier than it had before.

The blonde snapped her compact shut and a huge smile took over her face. "Eliza!" she practically purred, tucking the mirror and lipstick away in her purse before wrapping Eliza in a tight hug. "Oh my goodness, I missed you so much!" Eliza was overwhelmed by Holly's scent, a combination of strawberries and rosewater that was near intoxicating.

"W-What are you doing here?" Eliza asked once she had been released. Her hand instinctively reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears, a nervous tic that she vaguely remembered she had developed freshman year. "I-I mean, it's great seeing you, but-?"

"No, yeah," Holly agreed breathlessly, gesturing with a hand, "I was in town and Coach Sylvester asked me to come speak to her Cheerios, whip them into shape, you know." She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "So here I am."

Eliza nodded slowly, knowing that Holly was Coach Sylvester's favorite back in the day. "Why were you back in town?" she asked, frowning. Eliza highly doubted it would be to visit her parents- Holly hated them. Mr. and Mrs. Hale were two of the most narcissistic, unfriendly people Eliza had ever met. They treated Holly like her sole purpose in life was to be an extension of themselves- Holly was expected to do, say, and even think whatever they wanted her to.

Holly's face suddenly hardened and she looked away, working her jaw. "It's not very pleasant to talk about," she said coolly, but after a moment she sighed and made eye contact with Eliza again. "My father… My father died, a week or so ago. Heart attack or something. So I came back to town for his funeral."

Eliza's suspicion instantly faded away and she wrapped the blonde in her arms in another hug. "I'm sorry, Holly," she said softly.

Holly pulled away and shook her head, a pained smile on her face. "Nothing to be sorry about." Eliza knew what Holly was probably thinking- _Old bastard deserved to die_ \- but would never say out loud. Holly didn't like to talk about personal things, and sure enough, the former Cheerio quickly turned the conversation around. "Anyway, enough about that. I'd love to catch up with you after school?"

It was less of a question and more of a statement, leaving little room for Eliza to say no. Still, Holly's smile was so infectious that Eliza couldn't help but mirror it. For the first time since Eliza's gaze had fallen on the blonde, she remembered Santana. The two had made plans for the night, and Eliza didn't want to cancel on her. But Holly was probably only going to be in town for a few more days and her father had died and damn it, it was _Holly Hale_ , Eliza had always had trouble denying her anything. She and Santana could hang out some other night. "Okay," Eliza agreed, nodding her head and hugging her books to her chest.

Holly grinned brightly. "Perfect!" she exclaimed. "We'll grab coffee at the Lima Bean, I'll meet you in our usual spot." The blonde winked at Eliza like they were sharing some intimate secret. "I should go catch up with Coach, I know she hates to be kept waiting. I'll see you later." Holly didn't wait for Eliza's response, simply waving and walking away.

Eliza couldn't believe what was happening. In the back of her mind, she knew how much Holly had hurt her her freshman year, but logic tended to be thrown out the window when Holly Hale was involved. Besides, Holly telling her the truth about her father dying- maybe the blonde had changed? It was wishful thinking, Eliza knew, but what would be the harm in meeting Holly for an innocent cup of coffee?

Xxx

Eliza met up with Santana in the hall later that day, the Latina immediately launching into conversation. "So, guess who I met at cheer practice this morning?" Santana began, her voice a mix between excitement and hesitation.

Eliza glanced over at the cheerleader and arched an eyebrow. "Holly Hale?" she guessed, knowing that that is what Santana was going to tell her. Eliza had mentioned the blonde by name before, and that she had been a Cheerio, so of course Santana would know who she was.

Santana frowned and nodded her head slowly. "Yeah… I thought that that info would cause a little more of a reaction?" At Eliza's questioning look, the cheerleader continued a bit defensively, "I mean, you said she broke your heart and everything, are you okay?"

Eliza couldn't help but smile at Santana's concern, touching her arm gently. "Yes, I'm fine," she said lightly, rolling her eyes. "Whatever happened between Holly and I is in the past. Actually, she asked me to get coffee with her after school today."

At that, Santana's frown deepened, a look of hurt flashing over her face. "Wait, I thought we had plans tonight. You know, because my parents are away for the night?" Santana pointed out, voice lowering suggestively. The girl crossed her arms over her chest, covering the WMHS logo on her cheerleading uniform.

Eliza's brow furrowed slightly and she nodded her head. "I know, and I'm sorry for canceling on you, but Holly's dad just died and I really think she needs a friend right now."

Santana's emotions seemed to shift from hurt to irritation, her jaw visibly tightening. "Sorry, quick clarification," the Latina began sarcastically, her hands fanning out, "Friends as in you and the hobbit, or friends as in you and I?"

For once, Santana's bitchiness wasn't amusing or cute, and Eliza's eyes narrowed. "Is that what this is about?" Eliza said exasperatedly, shaking her head. "God, we can just have sex some other night, okay?" That was obviously not the right thing to say, because the look of raw injury in Santana's eyes made Eliza want to immediately take the words back. "Shit. Santana, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

But Santana was already pulling away roughly. "No, whatever," the Cheerio spat, "Have fun on your little _date_ with the cheer bitch." Eliza only got a glimpse of the tears shimmering in Santana's eyes before the girl turned around and stalked away, shouldering her way past an unsuspecting freshman boy.

Eliza groaned and pressed her hands to her face, knowing that she just screwed up, big time. Later she would have to apologize to Santana and try to make up for her insensitive comment, but for now, she had to get to class. Eliza was still going to meet Holly after school, and hopefully by the time that meeting had ended, Santana would have cooled down enough to hear Eliza out. _Hopefully_.

Xxx

Eliza was feeling miserable when the end of school came around. The look of hurt on Santana's face just wouldn't leave her brain. Eliza heard a voice in the back of her head that sounded remarkably like Rachel's reminding her that this time, she was the one who had hurt someone and not the other way around. Eliza truly felt awful about hurting Santana's feelings, and it was all she could think about as she drove to meet Holly at the Lima Bean.

As soon as Eliza walked into the coffee shop, she spotted Holly sitting in the corner table that they had always sat at. The blonde looked up when she heard the bell at the door, smiling and waving when she saw Eliza. Eliza returned the gesture, standing in line and ordering her coffee when it was her turn. After a few minutes she joined Holly at the table with her latte in hand. "Hey, Holly," Eliza greeted, sitting in the seat across from the blonde.

"Hey," Holly responded brightly, fingers wrapped around her own coffee. "I would have ordered your coffee for you, but I couldn't remember what you usually get." The former cheerleader nodded in the direction of Eliza's drink and the brunette's eyebrows arched briefly.

Eliza wasn't sure why Holly acted like that was anything new- even back when the two girls came to the Lima Bean practically everyday, Holly never remembered her order. At first, it had been annoying to Eliza, especially since she had memorized Holly's annoyingly complicated order after their third coffee 'date'. But she'd dismissed it, because it was coffee, not exactly the end of the world. But it wasn't just Eliza's coffee order that Holly didn't know- she didn't know Eliza's favorite color or what music she liked because the blonde just didn't pay attention to things like that. _Santana would remember my coffee order_ , Eliza thought to herself, but that thought was quickly dismissed because Santana wasn't her girlfriend. Comparing her and Holly made no sense.

"It's fine," Eliza found herself saying, waving her hand in dismissal. "So, how are you liking Yale so far? It has to be pretty challenging." She forced herself to smile, taking a sip of the steaming-hot latte in her hands. Holly had had near perfect grades in high school and graduated as valedictorian, mostly because she was a complete perfectionist that hated to lose in any way, shape, or form.

Holly shrugged her shoulders. "It's not too bad," she deflected, then after a moment continued, "I'm doing very well, actually. My teachers seem to be very impressed with my work." Eliza wondered how truthful that statement actually was. Holly tended to exaggerate her achievements, after all- not in a jokingly braggy way, like Santana sometimes did, but in a condescending way.

"Wow, that's great," Eliza mused unenthusiastically, not missing the way that Holly's eyes gleamed at the compliment. Holly lived for people to fawn over her and her accomplishments. She wanted people to pay attention to her so badly that she couldn't even tell the difference between a genuine compliment and an ingenuine one. It was sort of sad, to be honest.

"So," Holly began, brown eyes staring intensely at Eliza. "Have you been seeing anyone?" Holly doesn't say 'since we broke up', but that is what she means- Holly never mentions their past relationship, and Eliza thinks that the blonde likes to imagine it never happened.

Eliza considered how to respond to the question. The easy answer would be to say 'not really'. Holly would frown and say that that was too bad, but Eliza knew that the blonde would secretly be happy. Holly would talk about her latest prick of a boyfriend, despite the fact that Holly had drunkenly confessed to Eliza one night that she didn't feel anything when she kissed or had sex with boys. So Eliza decided to be honest. "Actually, I _am_ kind of seeing someone right now. Or at least, I was, but I may have totally screwed that up today," Eliza confessed, feeling the frustration within her begin to build. She shook her head and leaned forward in her seat. "What are you really doing here, Holly? Showing up at my locker, bringing me to where we used to hang out, asking me if I've been seeing anyone."

Holly tilted her head and frowned, a perfect picture of innocence. "I don't know what you mean," Holly responded lightly. "I'm just here to catch up with a good friend." One of her pale hands reached out across the table to gently stroke Eliza's arm in a manner that was a lot more than friendly, brown eyes locked onto Eliza's blue ones.

Eliza expelled an incredulous laugh and pulled her arm away. "I can't believe you, Holly. Two years later, and you're still the same exact person. Lucky for me, I'm not. I'm not the same lovesick girl I was freshman year that, that clung to your every word, okay?" She shook her head and stared up at a spot above Holly's head. Eliza couldn't believe that she had allowed herself to be dragged down this rabbit hole again. She was better than that, but apparently she wasn't as over Holly Hale as she had thought.

Holly's lips were pursed when Eliza's gaze dropped back downward to the girl's face. "I missed you, Eliza," she said quietly, reaching out for the brunette's hand again. "I came to talk to you and invited you here because I missed you, I missed _us_." Eliza was sure she did. Holly missed the power she had over Eliza, missed the feeling of being adored and practically worshipped.

"You know what, Holly?" Eliza eventually sighed. "You really screwed me up my freshman year. I know you probably get some sick pleasure from knowing you had such a profound effect on me, but you broke my heart and that's-" Eliza carded her fingers through her hair, "that's just not okay with me."

When Eliza looked back up, Holly face was tight and stoic. "Don't be so dramatic," the blonde said coolly, and that was enough proof for Eliza to know that she was doing the right thing here.

Shaking her head and laughing humorlessly, Eliza said, her voice wet, "I'm sorry about your father, Holly, I really am. I know that he and your mother inflicted more damage on you than you will ever be willing to admit, and I pray to God that you find a way to move on from that at some point. I pray that you find a way to accept yourself and find real, actual love. When I was younger, I fell under your spell and let you treat me like shit the same way your parents treated you like shit. But I am not going to allow myself to fall for you again." Fighting to hold back her tears, Eliza stood abruptly and grabbed her coffee, turning around to leave. She knew Holly wouldn't run after her, because she never did.

The first thing Eliza did as soon as she got into her car was dial Santana's number. She listened to it ring, on and on, before the Cheerio's voicemail message played. "Santana," Eliza choked into the phone after the beep, trying not to sound like she had been crying, "I am so, so sorry, I really need to talk to you. Please call me back." Eliza hung up the phone and wiped her eyes.

She knew she made the right choice by sticking up for herself to Holly- freshman year Eliza would have never done that, so for that she was proud of herself. However, she was still ashamed about how she had treated Santana, shaking her off like Holly had done to her numerous times. She knew how horrible that felt, and she was determined to come clean to Santana as soon as possible.


	9. Chapter 9

**Last chapter! I know I made you guys wait forever for a chapter this short, but I hope you all think it was worth it. Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this little story. Even if you didn't do any of those things, thank you for just reading it! This is the first fanfiction I've ever written and hopefully not the last, so stay tuned for if I ever get the inspiration to write anything else.**

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Eliza called two more times that night, but Santana never picked up. The brunette barely got any sleep that night, and the next morning she was anxious to get to school and talk to Santana. Unfortunately for her, the first Cheerio she ran into was not Santana, but the girl's best friend- Brittany. Eliza had never seen the blonde angry before, but that morning Brittany looked downright murderous as she strode down the hallway towards Eliza.

"Last night, Santana called me crying. What did you do?" Brittany demanded, her height suddenly a lot more intimidating to Eliza. It wasn't that Eliza was scared of the Cheerio, but she was also well aware that Brittany could probably kick the crap out of her if she wanted to. In a way, Eliza was appreciative that Santana had such a loyal friend looking out for her.

"I screwed up," Eliza admitted openly, rubbing her forehead with a hand. "My ex came into town and I cancelled plans with Santana to go meet with her. I made an insensitive comment to Santana about it that was stupid and I feel absolutely terrible about it."

Brittany frowned and her posture relaxed, obviously at least somewhat satisfied that Eliza had admitted her mistake. "Santana is like… a hedgehog, okay," Brittany sighed. The brunette quirked an eyebrow, interested in where the cheerleader's analogy was going. "She's super prickly on the outside, but on the inside, she's all cuddly and just wants to be loved, you know? It's really hard for her to talk about heart feelings and she just hides behind her little spines, so you need to stroke her very carefully to get her to show you her soft belly."

Eliza frowned deeply, trying not to laugh at the way Brittany was describing this. "So… You're saying I should talk to her about it?"

The blonde's eyes brightened. "Yeah, exactly."

Eliza smiled and gave Brittany a quick hug. "Thanks, Britt. I promise I won't hurt your best friend ever again."

Brittany nodded. "Good. I mean, you wouldn't have to worry about me because I totally don't condone violence, but Lord Tubbington almost went to jail for assault a few years back, so I would seriously watch your back."

Eliza actually laughed this time and thanked Brittany again before walking away, determined to have a serious talk with Santana. Did she want to admit out loud that she had feelings for the girl other than sexual ones? No, she really didn't, but damn it, Eliza wasn't going to let her fears or insecurities or Holly Hale control her anymore. The brunette felt a sense of liberation as she moved purposefully down the hallway.

It didn't take long for Eliza to find the Latina walking purposefully through the hallway, walking in the opposite direction. As soon as Santana saw Eliza, the cheerleader's eyes hardened into a glare. Santana purposefully slammed her shoulder into Eliza's as she passed her, nearly knocking Eliza over. Taking a deep breath, Eliza turned and followed the Cheerio down the hall. "Listen, we need to talk," she called out, praying that Santana would listen to her.

"No," Santana hissed, whipping around on her heel to face Eliza. Her eyes scanned the area briefly before focusing back on Eliza. "I think you need to find a new fuck buddy." She turned to walk away again, but Eliza's hand lashed out to stop her.

"Santana, please let me explain myself," Eliza begged, taking hold of one of Santana's hands.

The Cheerio scowled and pulled her hand away, looking like she was going to walk away anyway. However, she must have seen the desperate look on Eliza's face because she just scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she growled, allowing Eliza to lead her to an empty classroom that was nearby. Eliza closed the door and parted her mouth to begin her rehearsed speech, but before she could speak, Santana interrupted her. "So, how was your date with Holly?" she bit out snarkily, arms folded tightly over her chest.

Eliza rubbed her forehead, trying to figure out where exactly to start. "Santana… I'm sorry for blowing you off. That was stupid and insensitive, as was implying that what we have between us is just sex. But that being said… I mean, we aren't dating," she pointed out as gently as she could.

Santana's eyes flashed with both hurt and anger. She snapped out, "I fucking know that! Whatever." She shook her head and looked away. "I don't care."

Eliza sighed deeply, knowing that this was going to be even more difficult than she had hoped. "Well, to answer your question, my meeting with Holly was terrible, actually." Santana glanced up at her, unable to hide her curiosity. "Yeah, maybe there was still that dumb freshman part of me that though Holly and I could work it out, that she could love me. But I looked at her and for once, I could see through all her bullshit, you know? To be honest…" Eliza moved closer to Santana, biting her lip as nerves began to flutter in her stomach. "I just kept thinking about how she treated me, and… and I started comparing it to how you treat me."

Eliza shook her head slowly. "My relationship with Holly… It was messy. She broke my heart, multiple times, and I have been avoiding serious relationships since then because I wanted to avoid heartbreak like that again. I wasn't ready for another relationship, and I didn't think you were ready for one either because of what happened with Brittany."

Santana shrugged her shoulders and picked at the edge of her Cheerios uniform. "Yeah, Britt really hurt me," she admitted, "and, no, I'm not exactly ready to shout from the frickin' rooftops that I'm a lesbian, but…" Santana released a growling sigh and continued forcefully, "I told you sex is better without attachments and at the time I meant it, but really that's bullshit, okay? I said that because I didn't want to be hurt, not again."

Eliza paused, having to keep herself from instinctively reaching out to comfort the Latina. "I'm sorry, Santana," she said softly. "You're right. And the truth is that I really like you. I want to be able to kiss you, and hold your hand in public, and all of those cliche relationship things." Eliza grinned cheesily, trying to make Santana smile. When the Cheerio's mouth finally quirked upward, Eliza continued tearfully, "I told myself from the beginning that if it was just sex then it didn't matter, I could protect my heart, and I think you told yourself the same thing. That was pretty naive of us, huh?"

Santana laughed wetly and wiped at her eyes. "I want those things too," she admitted quietly. "I'm just scared of everyone judging me. I know I act all tough, but I'm not like you. I can't just ignore the looks and everyone treating me differently." Eliza shook her head slightly, but Santana added, "But I feel like… I feel like it's something I want to work past." Santana glanced away embarrassedly, and Eliza knew that the 'for us' was implied at the end.

Eliza nodded. "We don't have to come out of here right now and declare ourselves to be dating or anything. But…" Eliza grinned and took Santana's hand in hers. Her voice intentionally dramaticized, she asked, "Santana Diabla Lopez, will you allow me to take you out to dinner to Breadstix?"

Santana laughed wetly and rolled her eyes. "I fucking love Breadstix, so um, hell yes, I accept."

"I hope you aren't going to use me to get free breadsticks," Eliza teased, chuckling. The serious part of their discussion over, Eliza led Santana over to the door. She held it open for the cheerleader and the two girls began to make their way out of the empty classroom, their hands swinging close to each other's.

Santana shook her head, "Nah, if I just wanted free breadsticks, I would get Finnocence or Puckerman or some other guy to bring me. I swear, you bat your eyes at those boys and they practically fall over themselves trying to impress you."

Both girls tilted their heads back and laughed as they made their way down the hallway. Eliza knew that they were both works in progress, but she had hope that they would work through their issues together and turn out stronger because of it.


End file.
